Grade Two BetVictor Ten Up Novice Chase Guide 2022

This 8 year old looked like he was going to be something special over hurdles for Noel Meade having finished just behind Honeysuckle in the 2020 Hatton's Grace hurdle.

He just managed to get the better of Fury Road to secure a Grade 2 win on bottomless ground at Navan before stepping up in trip to take on the Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham.A decent outing saw him come 4th and only beaten 5 lengths.

To try and garner some more improvement out of him at 8 he’s gone chasing this season and has taken to fences really well.

Coming 2nd on debut, he may have just needed the run as he came on leaps and bounds for that to win the Drinmore Novice chase, beating a decent yardstick in Gabynako to score Grade 1 honours.

Last seen falling at Leopardstown during the Dublin Racing Festival, he came down at only the 6th obstacle so it gives us very little to assess.

He’s already won a Grade 1 so carries a penalty for that success but it’s the best piece of form in the race.

The final runner for Gordon Elliott and Gigginstown but certainly not the last in the string is consistent chaser Run Wild Fred.

The 8 year old was a big sort over hurdles and always looked like his future lay in staying chases. A winner of a maiden and a Grade 3 over three miles in his first season were smart performances and he was sent chasing in his next season under rules.

However things didn’t quite go to plan and he failed to win any races in his first season as a novice chaser. Retaining his novice status going into this season he did show plenty of promise last campaign and even finished a valiant 2nd in the Irish Grand National.

Beaten over an inadequate 2.5 miles on seasonal return, he did then manage to defy a mark of 145 to win a handicap chase over 3 miles in convincing fashion at Navan.

Last seen going off favourite for a race at Leopardstown, a bad mistake at the 10th flight might have curtailed his chance as Fury Road left him for dead and Run Wild Fred had to settle for 2nd.

Top rated in the field and hasn’t landed a graded race to earn him a penalty here, he’s becoming a smart staying chaser and certainly looks the one to beat here assuming he doesn’t make any mistakes.

Another for Elliott, Farouk D’alene has been highly consistent for Gigginstown and is a very lightly raced 7 year old.
An impressive 18 length winner in a point to point, he put in a similar performance to win his first bumper start in taking fashion.

He then backed that up before going novice hurdling the following season. Easily winning his maiden he then went up in trip and managed to hold off eventual Albert Bartlett winner Vanillier in a Grade 2 event at Limerick.

Taken chasing this season he scored over 2.5 miles on chasing debut smartly before just being collared late by Master McShee in the Faugheen Novice chase at Limerick.

Looking the winner until the last few strides.

Last seen being outstayed by the impressive Stattler over 3 miles and a furlong at Naas, he has been running well in defeat in graded races but looks to have a weak finishing effort.

Might find one too good again.

Another for Gigginstown and Noel Meade, 8 year old Lieutenant Command is quite lightly raced for his age having only been seen 11 times under rules.

A faller in his point to point, he scored in a bumper before being no match for Appreciate It in the Future Stars Bumper at Leopardstown.

He didn’t amount to much over hurdles only managing to win his maiden over 2.5 miles, he found himself well beaten on his subsequent 5 starts over timber.

Taken chasing at the start of this season he got off the mark at the first time of asking but has found life difficult in deeper waters having been beaten 52 lengths in the Faugheen novices chase and 47 lengths last time out behind Bob Olinger.

Despite winning his beginners' chase well he has certainly looked out of his depth in better races since and is unlikely to reverse the form with Farouk D’alene from Limerick.

The first of three runners for Gordon Elliott, 8 year old Braeside will be partnered by Jamie Codd here.

Running 5 times in point to points, he failed to pick up a win between the flags but ran well enough in defeat a couple of times. His first season under rules was spent in bumpers where again he failed to notch a victory.

Not until going up in trip did he manage to win his first race when taking a maiden over 22 furlongs at Fairyhouse and that remained his only win as a novice hurdler as he failed to transition into handicap company off the back of that.

Subsequently sent chasing, he had an ok first season over fences but was consistently finding one or two too good to notch a win.

However on first outing this season he finally got his head in front for the first time over fences over a mammoth 3.5 miles.

Two lacklustre runs in handicaps have followed however as the handicapper raised him 10lbs for his success and he was last seen pulling up at Gowran over 3 miles.

Dropping slightly back in trip isn’t guaranteed to suit with his win coming over a marathon trip and he’s struggled to acquit himself well in handicaps recently.

Likely lacking the quality needed here.

Trained by Patrick Griffin, Antey is a 9 year old who spent the majority of his career with Willie Mullins.
Winning a couple of races over hurdles as a novice, the plan was seemingly always to go chasing and he took fences in his second season under Mullins.

However he struggled for form in that first campaign as a chaser and failed to notch a win, falling in two of his four outings over fences.

It took a further six runs over fences for him to gain his first win and that still remains his only victory over the larger obstacles.

Unable to win in a novice chase after that, he was pitched into a Grade 3 but struggled to adapt to the higher grade and pulled up.

Last making his stable debut for Griffin, he unseated in a Grade 2 novice for chasers at Haydock when looking well beaten.

His form doesn’t inspire confidence and he’s failed to complete in two of his last three outings.
Looking unlikely to play a major role.