The Cotswold Chase 2024 is one of the big highlights at Cheltenham Trials Day this Saturday – a race billed as a Gold Cup guide, but the last horse to win both races was in 2000. Andy Newton looks at the potential Cotswold Chase runners, the latest betting and also give you the key trends to help put history on your side when looking for the winner.
Cotswold Chase Runners Headed By Royale Pagaille
Top female trainer Venetia Williams have never won Saturday’s Cotswold Chase, but she’s got a great chance of putting that right with Royale Pagaille, who heads the betting for the big Cheltenham race.
Royale Pagaille was last in action winning the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November – beating the former King George VI Chase winner Bravemansgame by 6 1/2 lengths (watch below) and will be hoping to follow up at Cheltenham this weekend.
However, it’s no secret that the Rich Ricci-owned 10 year-old seems to save his best for Haydock and so a return to Cheltenham, a track he’s yet to win over, might give punters a reason to take him on.
He’s raced at Prestbury Park three times before – in each of the last Gold Cups – finishing 6th, 5th and 6th (last year).
2023 Cotswold Chase Hero Ahoy Senor Looking To Be The First Ever Back-to-Back Winner
Horse racing fans should also get a chance to see last year’s Cotswold Chase winner – Ahoy Senor (watch below) – who will be trying to become the first ever ‘back-to-back’ winner of the race since it was first staged in 1980.
Yes, over this 43-year period there have been a few two-time winners – See More Business (1998 & 2001) and former Grand National winner Many Clouds (2015 & 2017), but the race is yet to produce a horse to win the prize in consecutive runnings.
Ahoy Senor has not won a race since landing the 2023 Cotswold Chase – running four times since. The Lucinda Russel-trained horse fell in the 2023 Gold Cup at the Festival and this season has been pulled up in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby and last time in the Coral Gold Cup (Hennessy) at Newbury. Suggesting he’s got a bit to prove at the moment.
The horse that won that Newbury race – Datsalrightgino – is also entered for Saturday’s race (see below).
Cotswold Chase 2024: Time, Date and Prize Money
📅Time/Date: 1:50pm (Sat 27th January 2024)
🏇Racecourse: Cheltenham
💰 Purse/Winner: £70,338
📺 TV: ITV / Racing TV
Looks Like Trouble Was The Last Horse To Win The Cotswold Chase & Gold Cup (in the same season)
The Cotswold Chase is billed as a Cheltenham Gold Cup trial and, yes, a lot of winners head to the big Blue Riband race at the Festival a few months later.
We’ve seen 15 of the last 20 winners take in the Gold Cup later that season – however, NONE have won both races.
Fourteen have been placed 8th or better, but the last horse to win both contests was the Noel Chance-trained Looks Like Trouble in 2000 (watch below). Norman Williamson rode the horse in the Cotswold Chase, but Richard Johnson took over for the Gold Cup.
Prior to Looks Like Trouble, it was Master Oats in 1995 that won both races, ridden by the already mentioned Norman Williamson in both contests.
These two horses remain the only horses to have won the Cotswold Chase and Gold Cup in the same season.
Native River and See More Business get a mention too as having won both races – just not in the season campaign, while Many Clouds won both the Cotswold Chase and the Grand National in 2015.
Many Clouds also won the Cotswold Chase in 2017, but sadly died soon after the race after collapsing.
Cotswold Chase Trends and Stats: Just Two Winning Favourites In The Last 20 Runnings
There are plenty of Cotswold Chase trends that have built up over the years, which you can apply to the 2024 runners and help put history on your side.
For example, with a massive 95% of the last 20 winners having raced at Cheltenham in the past and ten of those winning, then course experience is a big plus.
It’s also a race the Paul Nicholls yard have a good record in – winning the pot five times in total – while the race is often deemed a Gold Cup Trial with 15 of the last 20 winners taking in the Blue Riband later that season at the Cheltenham Festival. The Ditcheat handler runs Stay Away Fay this year.
Stay Away Fay will be the youngest horse in the race at 7 years-old, but last season’s Albert Bartlett winner looks the big improver this term over fences. He’s 2-from-2 over the bigger obstacles and impressed when winning at Sandown last month – battlling on well to beat the useful Giovinco. The longer trip looks a big plus and we know the Prestbury Park track suits too.
The Cotswold Chase has also been a poor race for favourite backers in recent times – with only two winning market leaders in the last 20 runnings. Yes, these came in the last four years (Chantry House 2022 & Santini 2020), but we witnessed another jolly turned over 12 months ago with Protektorat only managing fourth.
Cotswold Chase Stats: Put History On Your Side With The Key Cheltenham Trends
- 20/20 – Rated 151 or higher
- 19/20 – Raced at Cheltenham over fences before (10 had won)
- 18/20 – Won over at least 3m (fences)
- 18/20 – Ran in the last 8 weeks
- 16/20 – Won between 2-6 times over fences
- 15/20 – Priced 7/1 or less
- 15/20 – Went onto race in that season’s Gold Cup (no winners, 14 placed 8th or better)
- 13/20 – Favourites placed
- 13/20 – Raced at either Wetherby (3), Cheltenham (4) or Kempton (6) last time
- 11/20 – Aged 9 or 10 years-old
- 10/20 – Unplaced in last run
- 10/20 – Won by an Irish-bred horse
- 8/20 – Won last time out
- 7/20 – Winners from outside the top 3 in the market
- 6/20 – Won by a French-bred horse
- 3/20 – Won by trainer Paul Nicholls yard (5 wins in total)
- 2/20 – Winning Favourite
- 1/20 – Went onto win the Grand National (Many Clouds, 2015)
- 1/20 – Went onto win the Ryanair Chase (Frodon, 2019)
- 10 of the last 16 winners were aged 9 or 10 years-old
- Looks Like Trouble (2000) was the last winner to go onto win the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cotswold Chase Betting Odds
See below the latest Cotswold Chase betting from BetMGM. Where you can also get a £40 free bet for staking £10.
- Royale Pagaille 11/4
- Stay Away Fay 3/1
- The Real Whacker 4/1
- Datsalrightgino 11/2
- Ahoy Senor 11/2
- Capodanno 13/2
Note: Odds are subject to change
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Cotwold Chase Past Winners
- 2023 – Ahoy Senor (13/2)
- 2022 – Chantry House (5/6 fav)
- 2021 – Native River (13/2)
- 2020 – Santini (13/8 fav)
- 2019 – Frodon (9/4)
- 2018 – Definitly Red (7/1)
- 2017 – Many Clouds (8/1)
- 2016 – Smad Place (9/2)
- 2015 – Many Clouds (4/1)
- 2014 – The Giant Bolster (6/1)
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