The dour staying contest of the Eider Chase takes centre stage at Newcastle next month, a race first run back in 1952. While it historically was seen as a Grand National Trial, only Highland Wedding (1969) and Comply Or Die (2008) were able to complete the double, which is unlikely to change given the ever gathering high class thoroughbreds competing in the Aintree spectacle.
Last Five Renewals
2024
- Winner – Anglers Crag (9yo)
- Weight – 11-0
- Rating – 126
- Form figures that season – 111
- Rating at the beginning of the season – 106
- Record over three miles+ – 1
- General track position throughout – Midfield
2023
- Winner – Kitty’s Light (7yo)
- Weight – 11-4
- Rating – 132
- Form figures that season – 66873
- Rating at the beginning of the season – 144
- Record over three miles+ – 312PU23
- General track position throughout – Held up in rear
2022
- Winner – Win My Wings (9yo)
- Weight – 11-0
- Rating – 132
- Form figures that season – 5PU1
- Rating at the beginning of the season – 133
- Record over three miles+ – 21
- General track position throughout – Midfield
2021
- Winner – Sam’s Adventure (9yo)
- Weight – 11-1
- Rating – 139
- Form figures that season – PU51UR
- Rating at the beginning of the season – 137
- Record over three miles+ – 5PU51UR
- General track position throughout – Midfield
2019
- Winner – Crosspark (9yo)
- Weight – 10-13
- Rating – 135
- Form figures that season – 11531
- Rating at the beginning of the season – 124
- Record over three miles+ – 4413
- General track position throughout – Held up in rear
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Notable ten year trends
- The most notable trend of all is the age of the winners. Eight of the last ten winners were all aged nine.
- Rating: The last ten ratings of the winners were 126,132,132,139,135,140,127,126,134 (126-140).
- Weight: The lowest weight carried was 9-12, though Lorcan Murtagh took 10lbs off. The highest weight was 11-4 with Kitty’s Light in 2023. No cloth number higher than three has taken the race.
- The last ten SP’s read 11/2, 7/4F, 11/2F, 15/2, 12/1, 8/1, 10/1, 8/1, 18/1 (7/4F-18/1).
- 9/10 winners had at least three runs that season.
- 7/10 winners had won a race prior that season.
- 5/10 were held up in rear throughout.
- 3/10 raced in midfield throughout.
- 2/10 were held up in touch with leaders.
- 3/10 were claimer ridden.
Leading Market Contenders
Git Maker (6/1) had a pipe opener over hurdles at Windsor last month presumably in prep for this contest. The son of Saddler Maker rarely runs a bad race for Jamie Snowden, recording six wins in thirteen starts under rules and a respectable effort of 3/8 over fences. He was progressive as a novice chaser with form figurers of 2211 albeit in small fields, and he took his form to a new level when finishing second in the Kim Muir at Cheltenham last season prior to being beaten eight lengths in the Scottish Grand National when third to Macdermott. Stamina is evidently his forte, and his clear second to Inothewayurthinkin, who’s now rated 160, suggests he could be chucked in off this mark of 133. The only slight negative you could have on his chances is that he’s had just the one run this season which would be against the general trend, but he clearly looks to have been saved for this contest.
Jubilee Express (7/1) has progressed well over staying trips for Sam Thomas since going chasing, with form figures of 3212 beyond three miles in the newly equipped cheek-pieces. The son of No Risk At All was well backed in the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow and finished strongly up the run in to collar his stablemate Iwilldoit, but couldn’t quite get to the well backed winner in Val Dancer. Sam Thomas is rapidly making a name for himself with his staying chasers, and while Jubilee Express hasn’t always been the most straight forward, he looks tailor-made for this four mile test given how well he finished off his race last time out. He lurks on a handy mark, and with any natural improvement he’ll be bang there at the finish.
O’Connell (7/1) had a quirk or two in him last season, going off single figures (4x fav) in seven of his eight runs and winning just one of them. However this season, while he still has a tendency to race behind the bridle, he’s taken his form to a new level having rattled off a hat trick, including the Lincolnshire National and latterly the Masters Handicap at Sandown earlier this month. Because he can race lazily, I don’t think the handicapper has caught up with him just yet as I gather the impression he saves a lot for himself. Gavin Sheehan produced him masterfully to win last time out, and despite the two lengths margin, it looked a shade cosier in the end. He’s similar to last years’ winner Anglers Crag in that he’s a progressive nine year old on a hat trick of wins, but the only slight doubt would be whether he’s a better horse going right handed as his record left handed reads 5453F4.
Passing Well (8/1) wouldn’t be the most honest of horses in training, unsurprisingly given he’s by Coastal Path, but he’s ran respectably this season with form figures of 2232 and posted a joint highest career best in second time cheekpieces in the Surrey National last month. It was a concern to see him lose out again in a finish, and while this extended trip might eek out further improvement, he’d have to be delivered to perfection as he’s far from a natural battler.
Last year’s winner Anglers Crag (10/1) would have to become the first horse since Highland Wedding in 1967 to record back to back renewals of the Eider Chase and he remains 5lbs above that last winning mark, so it’ll be interesting to see whether Brian Ellison turns to a claimer to shave get him back down to 126. The son of Multiplex was just 1/7 for David Pipe which came on hurdles debut in 2022, but after his second wind surgery and a switch of yards, he improved 28lbs for recording a four timer in staying chases for his new yard, despite the 4m1f trip on heavy going posing a questions mark. The handicapper looks to have had him in his grip since, given he pulled up in the Scottish National and has failed to trouble the judge by seventeen lengths so far in three runs his season, but there was plenty of promise in his effort in the Edinburgh Gin Chase when making good headway to be second two out, before failing to make any further inroads on the runaway winner and was collared by two more after the last. He’s a similar mould to Kitty’s Light in that he hasn’t really been put into his prep races this season, but he’ll have to improve drastically to regain his crown this time around.
Outsiders to consider
Jack’s Parrott (12/1) would have to be the youngest winner in the history of this race, but he’s a young stayer on the up and if sneaking in to the contest of 119, he’d be a strong interest with stamina draw out even further. The half brother to the yards flagship horse Iroko captured the interest of the racing public when dotting up seventy one lengths at Uttoxeter last April, and backed that effort up in a novice chase at Perth when staying on strongly to collar Busty Boy. He shaped in need of the run when beaten thirty lengths at Carlisle on seasonal debut, but put that well behind him when a four length second in a gruelling renewal of the Tommy Whittle in December, travelling strongly throughout and looking very much like the winner having jumped the last in front. He was collared only late on by a rejuvenated Egbert, and he lost little in defeat when beaten six lengths at Newcastle next time out. He was perhaps unsuited by the hold up tactics there and had no room jumping three out which undoubtedly stunted his momentum, though stayed on well enough again to suggest this Eider distance would suit. Princes Des Fichaux finished second in that same contest at Newcastle en-route to being beaten a neck in the Eider next time out, and if Jack’s Parrott lines up here then it wouldn’t be out of the question he could go one better.
Your Own Story (20/1) has long threatened to win a staying chase prize of this calibre and was an eye-catcher in the Welsh National being the only one to clock a sub fifteen second final furlong there having come from rear after initially losing his prominent pitch. His form figures beyond three miles reads 12431262PU26, with the only below par effort coming on seasonal debut at Carlisle this season. He was sent off the 4/1 favourite for the Scottish National in 2023 and only beaten eleven lengths in sixth, and he was only beaten a head in a 29k Punchestown handicap over 3m7f at the back end of this season from a 2lbs higher mark. Whether one of those two contests is the eventual seasonal target remains to be seen, but should connections send him here then he looks sure to run his race providing the cheek-pieces continue to sharpen him up through the middle section of the race.
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With a plethora of progress and unexposed stayers in this lineup, deciphering this marathon contest is no easy feat, but it was pleasing to hear Gavin Sheehan earmark the Eider as a potential target for O’CONNELL and this progressive stayer gets the nod. He looks a much more assured model of a horse this season, as demonstrated when gamely beating Fortunate Man art Carlisle in December who’s since climbed 10lbs, and I thought the dominance in how he won the Lincolnshire National was very impressive. He crept into the contest under Theo Gillard, joining the leaders three out travelling notably the best of all. He won hard held on the bridle and would’ve been the winner even for the favourite falling upsides, but it was his performance at Sandown which merits the most consideration here as while it looked handwork for many throughout, the way in which he conserves energy for himself throughout his races suggest it wouldn’t have taken much out of him and given how tough it is to make up ground at Sandown in those conditions, I think an 8lbs rise could still easily underestimate this well built son of Westerner.
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