Top 2024 Denman Chase odds and tips

With just five weeks to go until the Cheltenham Festival, the wait is almost over for the biggest betting event of the entire year for horse racing fans. 

There have been plenty of twists and turns so far this season, with a host of clues for the spring festivals popping up at both the Dublin Festival at Leopardstown and Festival Trials Day at Cheltenham in recent weeks.

It is now the turn of Newbury, which hosts an excellent card on Saturday that is headlined by each of the Betfair Hurdle, the Game Spirit Chase and the Grade 2 Betfair Denman Chase.

Named after the superstar Gold Cup winner from the 2000s, the Denman Chase is one of the top staying races of the year and serves as a big pointer for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. With a stellar field entered, we’ve listed all of the latest Denman Chase betting offers and tips for you below in this handy guide. 

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Run over just shy of three miles, the Betfair Denman Chase is seen as a key pointer for next month’s Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup, meaning there is plenty to be gained from the Grade 2 contest. 

There is one stand out contender from the five runners according to the betting at the time of writing, though with plenty at stake we’ve listed the full Denman Chase odds from the sponsorsBetfair below.

• SHISHKIN (Nicky Henderson) at 2/5
• PROTEKTORAT (Dan Skelton) at 3/1
• HITMAN (Paul Nicholls) at 7/1
• DOES HE KNOW (Kim Bailey) at 16/1
• SAM BROWN (Anthony Honeyball) at 20/1

It may be a select field, but there’s plenty of quality amongst the five entered runners for Saturday’s Grade 2 Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury. 

Each of the five potential runners boast some very strong form, but we feel it’s going to be very difficult to stop the current favourite, who will be looking to enhance his Gold Cup credentials. 

It’s very difficult to oppose Shishkin, who will be looking to get his bid for the 2024 Cheltenham Gold Cup back on track with a good performance at Newbury on Saturday. 

The 10-year-old was an unfortunate faller at the second last fence in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day and whilst it was perhaps a little too far out to ascertain whether he’d have won that day, he was in front and arguably in control at the time of the unseating. 

He certainly isn’t an A* pupil and is prone to the odd piece of misbehaviour, refusing to race on reappearance at Ascot in November, but he’s a top-class performer on his day and has very much come into his own since switching into the staying chasing sphere. 

The form of Shishkin’s victory in the Grade 1 Aintree Bowl is up there with some of the best form we’ve seen over the last 12 months and he will take all of the beating if fully firing here.

It certainly won’t be a complete penalty kick for Shishkin, whose opponents could include the 2022 Betfair Chase winner Protektorat, but provided he is none the worse for that incident at Kempton, it’s very difficult to look past Nicky Henderson’s charge as he looks to warm up for the Gold Cup. 

This year’s renewal of the Denman Chase is shaping up to be an excellent one, with some very strong form across the card should all five of the entered runners stand their ground.

With plenty to sort through, we’ve summarised the chances of each of the Denman Chase runners for you below.

Outstanding chaser who has won at the top level in three different divisions. Has really come into his own since stepping into the staying chasing ranks, looking like a real Gold Cup contender when winning last season’s Aintree Bowl. Has his quirks having refused to race at Ascot in November, but would have been right there if not for unseating in the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day and rates as the one to beat here if none the worse for that.

Top-class chaser on his day, whose finest hour came when winning the 2022 Betfair Chase at Haydock. Performed admirably on a number of occasions last term, including when fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but hasn’t been in the same heart so far this campaign. Didn’t necessarily lose a lot in defeat when second and conceding weight to the classy L’Homme Presse in a valuable conditions race at Lingfield last month, but would likely need to take a step forward from that to topple Shishkin.

Classy sort who enjoyed an excellent novice campaign in 2021-22, twice finishing second in Grade 1 company. Hasn’t necessarily kicked on since however, with his last victory coming in a graduation chase at Haydock in November 2022, while he was well held on his most recent outing in a handicap at Cheltenham last month. Ought to come on for that and will line up on good terms as he receives 6lbs from both Shishkin and Protektorat, but still has a fair chunk to find on form with that duo and was second in a weaker renewal 12 months ago.

Smart performer who has some strong form under his belt, including when a fine third in this race 12 months ago. Will face a stronger field this time around however and will shoulder a penalty by virtue of his victory in a premier handicap at Cheltenham in November 2022. Certainly deserves his place in the field but was well held in fourth behind L’Homme Presse and Protektorat at Lingfield last month and would need to take a significant step forward for win purposes. 

Popular veteran who arrives here in excellent heart, having won a valuable veterans’ final in good style at Warwick last month. Capable of some high-class form on his day, as he showed when emphatically winning a Grade 3 handicap at Aintree in April 2022, but into the veteran stage of his career now and would likely need a career best to topple the principals – for all that he would be in receipt of weight from all but one in the field. 

If you are new to betting on horse racing, placing your first bet can seem daunting. To help you out, we’ve listed everything you need to know in this handy step-by-step guide. 

1. Sign into your betting account. If you don’t already have one, we recommend any of Betfair, 10bet or Sky Bet.
2. If you don’t have a betting account, head to your selected betting siteand click ‘sign up’. Don’t forget to add any promotional codes which might be needed to qualify for any free bet offers. 
3. Once you have signed up for an account, select a horse in the Denman Chase. You can view all the runners on your bookmaker’s site by navigating to the ‘horse racing’ section. 
4. Look for the racing taking place on Saturday 10 February and find the meeting at Newbury. Select the Denman Chase, which is the 2.05pm race. 
5. Select the horse you want to bet on and click on the price next to your selection. Your horse should appear in the bet slip. 
6. Your potential returns should then appear. Once you are happy, click ‘place bet’.
7. Good luck!

The Denman Chase is one of the big pointers for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, meaning that there ought to be plenty of attractive betting offers for new customers. We’ve listed three which caught our eye below. 

• Betfairare the title sponsors of the Denman Chase and new customers can get money back as cash up to £20 if your first bet loses. To get the offer, sign up for an account using promo code ‘VAL225’. Place an exchange bet on the racing within 7 days of opening and if that bet loses, Betfair will refund your bet in cash up to £20 within 72 hours of settlement. 
• Sky Betare offering new customers £30 in free bets when you sign up and place any bet. To get the offer, sign up for an account, deposit the minimum amount of £5 and place any bet of 5p or more on the sportsbook. Once that bet has settled, your free bets will appear in your account in the form of 3x £10 free bet tokens. 
• New 10betcustomers can get a 50% welcome bonus of up to £50 when they create an account. To get the offer, sign up using code ‘PLAY10’ and make a deposit into your account. 10bet will then give you a bonus equating to 50% of that deposit total, up to a maximum amount of £50. Wagering requirements apply, please check the terms and conditions.

Named after one of the best chasers we’ve seen so far this century, the Denman Chase acts as a key pointer for next month’s Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup. 

Some big names have graced the Grade 2 contest over the years and the most successful trainer in the Denman Chase is the 14-time champion trainer Paul Nicholls, with 10 wins. 

Nicholls’ victories in the Denman Chase have come with See More Business (2000), Shotgun Willy (2001), Valley Henry (2003), Kauto Star (2007), Denman (2008), Tricky Trickster (2010), Noland (2011), Silvianaco Conti (2013), Clan Des Obeaux (2019) and Secret Investor (2021).

The most successful jockey in the history of the Denman Chase is the four-time champion jockey Richard Johnson, with four wins. Johnson’s four Denman Chase victories came with Shooting Light (2004), Farmer Jack (2005), Coneygree (2015) and Native River (2018).

The Denman Chase is a Grade 2 chase which is run over a distance at two miles, seven and a half furlongs. Established in 2000, the race is a seen as a key pointer for the following month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is around three furlongs longer. 

Some legendary names have won the Denman Chase over the years, including See More Business (2000), Kauto Star (2007), Denman (2008), Long Run (2012), Coneygree (2015) and Native River (2017, 2018 and 2020). 

Four horses have won the Denman Chase and the Gold Cup in the same year, with the most recent of those being Native River in 2018 for the Colin Tizzard team. 

The Denman Chase is traditionally held on the second Saturday in February at Newbury Racecourse in Berkshire. Established in 2000, the race has slowly grown to become one of the key trials of the season for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and now holds Grade 2 status. 

The race is held around 5 weeks out from jump racing’s blue riband race, meaning it has an ideal placement in the calendar as a Gold Cup prep race. 

• The Betfair Denman Chase will take place at Newbury on Saturday. The full address is Newbury Racecourse, Racecourse Rd, Newbury RG14 7NZ.
• There will be a large crowd in attendance at Newbury for the Grade 2 race, which is set to take place on Saturday 10 February 2024, with the race due off at 2.05pm. 
• You can watch the Denman Chase live on ITV Racing and Sky Sports Racing, while the race is also available to stream with most bookmakers. Please check whether streaming is available with your gambling website beforehand.

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