Betting.Bet Eider Handicap Chase: Race Preview & Odds
As we look ahead to Saturday we will provide in-depth analysis, betting tips and race odds
There is a huge afternoon of racing at Newcastle Racecourse on Saturday with the Betting.Bet Eider Handicap Chase the feature race on a seven-strong racecard. As we look ahead to Saturday we will provide in-depth analysis, betting tips and race odds, courtesy of our betting partners at William Hill.
A brief introduction
The Betting.Bet Eider Handicap Chase was established in 1952 and given the 4m1f race distance and 24 fences encountered, it serves as a trial for several Premier Handicap races, most notably the Grand National. In 2008, Comply Or Die followed up Eider Chase success by landing the Grand National at Aintree later that year. There are 13 runners confirmed for this year’s Betting.Bet Eider Handicap Chase renewal, the scheduled start time is 2:08PM and the race looks wide open.
2023 recap
Last year’s renewal was won by Kitty’s Light who subsequently went on to win both the Scottish Grand National and bet365 Gold Cup. Victory for Kitty’s Light gave trainer, Christian Williams a second successive win in the race, having landed the 2022 renewal with Win My Wings. Galloping Bear finished second in 2022 with No Cruise Yet third for trainer, Sam England.
Returning race winners
Christian Williams will not be represented in this year’s renewal however there will be three Eider Chase-winning trainers represented on Saturday. Brian Ellison, trainer of bookies’ favourite, Anglers Crag won the race with Sam’s Adventure in 2021 whilst Venetia Williams (Nil Desperandum in 2007) and David Pipe (Comply Or Die) are represented by Christopher Wood and Sidi Ismael respectively.
It’s three years since Christopher Wood last won a race and that win was over a distance of just 1m 7f. However, he is down 1lb from his third place finish in the Edinburgh National earlier this month and Saturday’s heavy conditions will undoubtedly suit him better than the good to soft ground at Musselburgh. Sidi Ismael looks well-handicapped but his recent form has been underwhelming at best, posting figures of 0UP5 in four runs this season.
Brian Ellison has an excellent chance of a second Eider Chase win with Anglers Crag. He’s been hiked 11lbs in the weights since winning a Handicap Chase at Carlisle in December but should have plenty in the tank still. Since switching to Brian Ellison from David Pipe’s yard, Anglers Crag has won three from three and he’s the one to beat at the weekend.
Last year’s runner-up, Galloping Bear is back and hoping to go one better this time but will run off top weight. The Ben Clarke-trained eleven-year-old may be the highest rated horse in the race but he’s not shown anything in two runs this season to suggest another Eider Chase challenge. Galloping Bear pulled up with less than a circuit run in the Welsh Grand National before finishing some 50 lengths off race winner, Sam Brown in the Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase at Warwick last month.
Can Fenland Tiger reverse Carlisle form?
The only horse entered with a previous win at Newcastle under his belt is Fenland Tiger and this is the horse that excites us the most. Fenland Tiger has won 3/4 runs over fences this season, including over 2m7f on heavy ground at Newcastle last time out. Yet despite his three race wins, it’s the race he didn’t win that most intrigues us. Fenland Tiger finished 5 ½ lengths off Eider Chase favourite, Anglers Crag at Carlisle in December but there has been a 7lbs swing in the weights since then.
Another leading competitor that looks well-handicapped is eight-year-old Gold Clermont. Won by eight lengths at Fontwell last month and despite a 5lbs rise she still looks a great prospect off a career high mark.
Betting.Bet Eider Handicap Chase odds
(William Hill Paying 5 Places Insted of 3 at 1/5 odds)
| Horse | Form | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anglers Crag | 37-111 | Henry Brooke | B Ellison | 3/1 |
| Fenland Tiger | 4-1311 | Jonathan England | S England | 11/2 |
| Gold Clermont | 2-3181 | Phillip Armson | A Irvine | 13/2 |
| Flower Of Scotland | 3133-P | Sean Quinlan | A M Thomson | 13/2 |
| The Galloping Bear | F2P-P8 | Joe Anderson | Ben Clarke | 15/2 |
| Tommie Beau | 424112 | M G Nolan | J W Mullins | 8/1 |
| Major Dundee | 31-35P | Thomas Bellamy | A King | 10/1 |
| Christopher Wood | 224-33 | Charlie Deutsch | Miss V Williams | 11/1 |
| Cruz Control | -25122 | B S Hughes | T Lacey | 12/1 |
| Rath An Iuir | 38-815 | Craig Nichol | R Dobbin | 12/1 |
| Prince Des Fichaux | 1-5462 | Danny Mcmenamin | Ewan Whillans | 16/1 |
| Sidi Ismael | 2-0UP5 | Gearoid Harney | D Pipe | 40/1 |
| Easy Bucks | 133-17 | William Maggs | P Bowen | 66/1 |
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