Grey Dawning Targets Back to Back Betfair Chase Wins
Haydock Park stages the Betfair Chase on Saturday November 21, with Grey Dawning aiming to repeat last year’s success. It’s one of the biggest National Hunt races before Christmas, and the defending champion looks set to attract plenty of support again in 2026.
Dan Skelton’s nine-year-old heads the betting at 4-5 with leading bookmakers. There’s every chance that price will get shorter as the race approaches. Grey Dawning has won six of his 14 starts over fences and now faces another test over three miles and one-and-a-half furlongs.
Anyone planning to have an online bet on the race should take time to compare the available sites before opening an account. A website offering detailed reviews of UK horse racing betting sites can be a useful place to begin that research.
His latest appearance came at Aintree in April, where he edged out Solness by a neck. That victory followed a fourth-place finish in the 2026 Cheltenham Gold Cup. The closing stages proved too much for him at Cheltenham, where the race is run over a furlong further than the Betfair Chase.
Twelve months ago, Grey Dawning was sent off the 10-11 favourite at Haydock. Royale Pagaille had beaten him in the 2024 running, but he turned that form around with a two-and-three-quarter-length victory. A similar performance would make him hard to stop this time, and he remains the horse the others have to beat.
Salver is next in the market at 5-1 and could appeal to those looking for an each-way option. Trained by Gary and Josh Moore, the six-year-old has shown enough to suggest he can make his presence felt at this level.
His record over fences stands at two wins from six starts, with the latest coming in a Grade 2 novices’ chase at Windsor in February. He then picked up second place in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Salver crossed the line third but was promoted after runner-up Final Demand was disqualified.
That Cheltenham run came despite a difficult afternoon. Salver was kicked before the start and also met trouble during the race. A clearer passage at Haydock could help him get closer to the favourite.
He finished last season with third place in Aintree’s Grade 1 Mildmay Novices’ Chase, coming home 11-and-a-half lengths behind Gold Dancer. A mistake at the final fence cost him the chance of finishing nearer. His jumping will need to hold up better if he’s to take this prize.
Iroko is another worth a look at around 9-1, although this represents a sharp drop in trip. The eight-year-old, trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, was runner-up to I Am Maximus in this year’s Grand National at Aintree.
That followed fourth place in the 2025 National, so he’s already put together two good efforts in that race. The distance there is a mile longer than the Betfair Chase, though. His form over trips closer to Saturday’s distance needs a closer look.
At this year’s Cheltenham Festival, Iroko could manage only tenth in the Ultima Handicap over three miles and a furlong. There was an explanation for that disappointing effort, with a dirty scope recorded the following day.
His most recent win came at Ascot last December in the Class 2 Howden Graduation Chase. Only three runners lined up, but he still had to get the better of odds-on favourite Firefox, which he did to cause an upset.
Haydock is a course where Iroko has twice finished second. His runner-up effort in last year’s Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase was his first outing after wind surgery. Another Grand National bid is the longer-term aim, but his record here suggests he could still give a good account of himself.
The Big Westerner could also interest each-way backers, with online bookmakers offering 9-1 about Henry de Bromhead’s runner. The seven-year-old has made just two appearances over fences, winning one of them, so there’s still scope for more to come.
That success came in a novices’ chase at Limerick last December. A second place in a beginners’ chase was followed by a return to hurdles, with another runner-up finish in the Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival. There’s clearly ability there, and a place could be within reach.
Previous winners such as Kauto Star and Cue Card show the quality usually associated with this race. The challengers have their claims, but Grey Dawning’s form makes him a worthy favourite as he bids to land the Betfair Chase for the second year running.