In this 1xBet review, we will discuss the possible surprises the key events of the autumn jumps season may bring. Thanks to a detailed statistics analysis, we have identified the main favourites for the races at Ascot and Haydock, as well as the “dark horses” capable of challenging the experienced champions.  

1:30 Ascot – 1965 Chase (Grade 2)

Pic D'orhy should take the beating in the 1965 Chase 

Pic D'orhy attempts to win this race for the third consecutive year and in the process become the tenth Paul Nicholls-trained runner to break the one-million-pound career prize money barrier. He is a classy performer on his day, has been a tremendous servant for the Nicholls team, and he excels at Ascot, winning five of his nine starts here while beating some very smart horses along the way.

His recent form is stronger than many give him credit for. In his last seven starts he was beaten only one and three quarter lengths by Banbridge in the 2024 Silviniaco Conti Chase while conceding weight. Banbridge went on to win two Grade 1 races, including last season’s King George. Pic D'orhy also beat Grade 1 novice chase winner L'Homme Presse by five and a half lengths in last year’s Ascot Chase over this course and distance. Three starts ago he won that same race again, this time defeating the 163-rated Corbetts Cross by ten lengths.

He showed he still retains plenty of ability when beaten only one length by Djelo on his first attempt at three miles, a horse who has an excellent record when running fresh. Pic D'orhy is entitled to improve for the drop back in trip and for this being his second run after a break. Combined with a track he loves, he makes far more appeal at the head of the market than the current favourite Il Est Francais.

There is no doubt about Il Est Francais’s raw ability, but he has changed trainer, has a history of bleeding, and has blown out in three of his last five starts. It would be great to see him return to his best, but he is not a betting proposition at under 7/4. He may become more interesting for the King George if he is beaten here and drifts significantly, given his excellent Kempton record over the last two seasons.

3:00 Haydock – Betfair Chase (Grade 1)

Grey Dawning looks primed to make amends for last year’s near miss as Haiti Couleurs and Royale Pagaille add depth to a fascinating renewal.

The first running of the Lancashire Chase twenty years ago featured the reigning King George and Gold Cup winner Kicking King, who locked horns again with the horses he had beaten into second in both of those Grade 1 races, along with multiple Grade 1 winner Beef Or Salmon. Kingscliff won the race that day, and the overall quality of that field gives useful context because today’s renewal is nowhere near that standard.

The favourite Grey Dawning is currently 33/1 with 1xBet for the Gold Cup in March, which underlines the lack of depth. It is also notable that Haiti Couleurs, second favourite here, is as short as 14/1 for the Gold Cup yet trades at 7/2 for this. Four of the five Irish horses ahead of Rebecca Curtis’s runner in the Gold Cup betting will line up in the John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown on Sunday, and that contest is almost certain to be more informative for Cheltenham than this one at Haydock.

Even so, the Betfair Chase remains intriguing. We have second-season chasers with upside, a seasoned course specialist seeking his third win in the race in the shape of Royale Pagaille, and the horse he beat last year, Grey Dawning.

The Skelton horse has always been well regarded. He has won nine of his seventeen races and has only once been out of the first three over fences, when pulled up in last season’s King George. He was almost certainly over the top that day after a hard race at Kempton, and he looked a tired horse when finishing second in this race last year. Royale Pagaille outstayed him on ground Timeform described as heavy. With Haydock currently good to soft, and likely to remain that way, Grey Dawning should have a far better chance of reversing the form.

He is entitled to have strengthened again over the summer, and at only eight years old he still has improvement in him. His defeat by Gaelic Warrior at Aintree last spring has made some question his Gold Cup credentials, but connections have already ruled out the King George because he dislikes going right-handed, and he has no Gaelic Warrior to worry about here. He should be primed to run a big race. 

Haiti Couleurs is a fascinating contender. He has won his last three starts, including the National Hunt Novices’ Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and the Irish Grand National off a mark of 141. He arrives with race fitness after winning a Pertemps Qualifier over hurdles off top weight at Newbury. He is entitled to improve for the return to fences and for being on his second run after a break, and he has the added advantage of the red-hot Sean Bowen, who is riding with a confidence that evokes the best of Tony McCoy.

He needs to improve 12 lb on official ratings and 10 lb on Timeform. While that rise is not impossible, Grey Dawning is the same age, is already a proven Grade 1 horse, and represents a stable in excellent form. The Skeltons have been training him specifically for this race for some time, and when they target a long-range plan they rarely miss. The last ten winners of this race were all rated 160 or higher by the BHA, and Grey Dawning is the only runner in this field who meets that standard.

Haydock is not every horse’s track, but Grey Dawning bolted up by nine and a half lengths in the Graduation Chase on this card two seasons ago. He then travelled like the winner in last year’s Betfair Chase before a last-fence mistake and gruelling ground allowed a course specialist to outstay him. If he puts in a clear round this time he has an excellent chance to give Dan Skelton another major success and give Harry Skelton another excuse to produce his trademark celebration.

The analytical piece was prepared by Emmet Kennedy— Presenter, Producer, and Owner of The Final Furlong Podcast, Broadcaster with TalkSPORT, and Broadcast Consultant —  with the support of 1xBet Ireland.

18+. T&Cs apply. Gamble responsibly