Grade One Marsh Chase Guide 2022

The Alan King trained gelding has his own fan club, being a fan favourite for the last few years this consistent performer can do it over both hurdles and fences, winning multiple Graded races over the years and running well in top championship contests.

He is a Grade 2 winner this season when landing the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton last November, beating Teqany by 5 and a half lengths, winning the race with ease.

He is a 10-year-old now and with younger horses contesting this race, his slightly older legs could catch up with him in this.

That being said, he looks to still remain classy this season as he has won multiple races but does have something to find on Funambule Sivola who beat him last time out in the Game Spirit by 2 lengths. He is coming back off a break, which might bring the best out of him as his record fresh is decent.

He would need to bounce back from a slightly disappointing run last time out, but if there is one thing, we have realised over the years is that Alan King can get them ready.

Second of the two runners for champion trainer Paul Nicholls, this horse was previously trained by Harry Whttington before being sent to the team at Ditcheat.

He has been very light raced over the past few seasons, running just four times in the last 24 months. He has to step up a fair bit to land a blow in this race as his previous form isn’t much to shout home about when pulling up in the Ascot Chase.

He did run 3rd in the King George however but might have been slightly fortunate if other horses in the race didn’t run to their full potential.

Looking back at his previous form he does have some class and does know how to run a huge race when not expected, but he now needs to show it on the biggest stage of them all.

The enigma that is Dan Skelton’s Allmankind who is another one that is clearly talented, needs everything to fall into place to win races.

He loves to run away with races from the front, which is something he certainly did when landing the Old Roan at this course back in October of last year, beating Itchy Feet by 1 length.

The form in behind that day isn’t great, and his form since then isn’t much to shout home about, as he has only ran twice finishing 5th of 6 in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon last December and pulling up at Fontwell last time out.

He is a tricky horse to gauge and certainly has his own way of running, which could work if the race falls open like the Old Roan did, but this does look to have a lot more depth in it so he will struggle to win from the front in this given his current form.

Trainer Nicky Henderson has always had a soft spot for this horse, stating he is very classy on his day and shows a lot of potential at home, but when he’s on a racecourse, that can be a different story.

His first run of the season was a step up in trip in the King George on Boxing Day, where he pulled up after not going a beat. He then went on to win the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton in January, winning well by just under 2 lengths with Eldorado Allen in behind.

It’s clear to see he is talented when he wants to be but needs to put that very disappointing run behind him when contesting in the Ascot Chase last time out, beaten by half the track.

He has a lot to find on that day’s winner and the favourite in this, but if he is on his a-game on these better conditions that will suit, he could bounce back, but needs to step up once again.

It’s no secret that the Fergal O’Brien team are having a stellar season at present, but they are lacking the big race successes, this is something that Paint The Dream will look to eradicate for a hardworking and successful yard.

This horse has won twice this season, winning on seasonal reappearance at Chepstow back in October of last year, and last time out in a Grade 3 contest at Newbury when landing the Greatwood Gold Cup in fanatic style by 15 lengths, crossing the line eased down.

His performance last time out was very good, and he deserves to be in a line-up of this nature going for Grade 1 success but will need to step his form up to a new level to land a blow in this against some Grade 1 performers, but we have seen not to underestimate the Fergal O’Brien yard recently.

The Joseph O’Brien stable star is clearly the class act horse going into this race and was a very impressive winner of the Grade 1 Ascot Chase in February, where he beat Two For Gold by just under 2 lengths.

The form in behind him that day doesn’t look up too much, with a few horses pulling up and not running their races, but it was on soft conditions and ran at a fair pace, so that might have caused a few horses to go out of their comfort zones.

That being said Fakir D’oudairies was much the best on the day, jumping well before keeping on really gamely up the Ascot straight to win going away coming to the line.

He was brilliant at Ascot that day when well fancied to win the Ascot Chase and has the form figures of 1422211 when contesting in races over here in the UK including this race last season, so either his trainer is fantastic at finding races for him that are clearly winnable, or the horse likes running over here in this country, I would say it’s most likely the first option.

With his good form in the UK, and ground conditions suiting to his strengths (Has won on varying ground from good up to soft/yielding) he will be the one to beat in this should he reproduce a performance like he did last time out, with more improvement most likely to come as he is only a 7yo as he looks to defend his crown in this race.

Another typical seasonal improver from the Venetia Williams yard, this horse has come on leaps and bounds in the second part of the season, winning a class 2 race at Doncaster in January, before then going on to land the Grade 2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury in February, where he made all, jumped like a stag and won cosily by 2 lengths.

He beat a useful yardstick in Sceau Royal that day who was well fancied to win the race and is a Multiple Grade 1 winner over both codes, but a typical Charlie Deutsch ride helped this horse to get in front and land his first UK Graded contest.

That Newbury run was a great performance, but arguably his best career run to date came next time out in the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham festival, where he completely outrun the odds of 40/1, to finish second behind runaway winner Energumene.

He was 9 lengths behind the winner that day, but finished ahead of Envoi Allen, Put The Kettle On and Shishkin (Who did pull up) making that look like it could be a decent piece of form.

He was slightly flattered but in softer conditions though, as it's clear they suited him better than most of the other runners, but take nothing away from his Champion Chase performance, he jumped well and did run on up the home straight when conditions looked tiring.

Should the better ground suit (Which has won in the past at Ascot and Doncaster) and he get it all his own way out in front, he could be hard to peg back in this slightly easier race than last time out.

The Henry De Bromhead charge looks to be one of the under looked horses in the field, he is a two-time winner this season and is very closely related to the main runners in the race.

He was a Grade 3 winner last time out when beating subsequent winner Blackbow by just under 3 lengths, after racing wider than the rest of the field virtually all the way around.

Captain Guinness is a two-time Grade 3 winner this season, still looking for his Grade 1, which he has been contesting in recently but coming up short, when finishing 3rd in the Tingle Creek at Sandown and the Dublin Chase at Leopardstown in February.

Those were two hot races, and this looks a little step down although still a Grade 1, so he could feature in the finish should he get a fairly clear round of jumping as connections look to have found a winnable opportunity for their horse.

Paul Nicholls is the joint leading trainer in this race with three previous horses being winners, and he will look to take the record for himself with the likes of Hitman running in the race this year.

This horse has always been highly regarded by his trainer, as all of his runs this season have been in graded races, where he has the form figures of 223.

He was second in the Tingle Creek, and although he was beaten by just under 6 lengths, that was a great run for a horse who is lightly raced like him.

With the better ground conditions forecasted he is likely to run a big race in this, as Paul Nicholls would have lined him up for this contest, as it is a meeting he does so well at.

Hitman certainly has the potential to run quite well in this and outrun his odds.

The Gary Moore yard is another one of the “smaller” operations to do very well this season, and Editeur Du Gite looks to be one of his standout performers this season.

Winning two times in a row at Cheltenham, before contesting in the Grand Annual last time out in very muddy conditions, where he finished 4th out of 16 runners, to only be beaten by 7 lengths or so.

Again he would need to step his form up to a whole new level in this Grade 1 contest, and that hard race last time out might have taken something out of him, but again with the yards form he is hard to rule out even though he is the outsider of the field.