Haiti Couleurs is in control of the Denman Chase

Report, replay and Gold Cup odds after Haiti Couleurs wins William Hill Denman Chase

By Graham Clark

Horse Racing

Sat February 07, 2026 · 16h ago

Haiti Couleurs made all to claim the Grade Two William Hill Denman Chase at Newbury.

Aboard the winner of both the Irish and Welsh Grand Nationals, Sean Bowen was determined to make it a stamina test and Rebecca Curtis’ charge was never headed.

L’Homme Presse didn’t jump with any real fluency early but warmed to his task and led the chase down the home straight.

However the winner, sent off the 5/6 favourite, proved too strong, running on dourly to score by seven lengths in receipt of two pounds from the runner-up.

He was left at 7/1 (non-runner/no bet) for the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup by Paddy Power and Sky Bet.

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Latest Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup odds

Paddy Power & Sky Bet (non-runner/no bet): 7/2 Fact To File, 9/2 Janbo Baie, 5 The Jukebox Man, 7 Haiti Couleurs, Gaelic Warrior, 8 Galopin Des Champs, 12 Bar

Post-race reaction

Winning trainer Rebecca Curtis said: “I’m delighted with that. I was so nervous coming here today, but I don’t know why it was just probably because he had he so much expectation of is he a Gold Cup horse. I’m just glad it is out the way. That is the way he likes to be ridden. He likes dictating from the front so we weren’t going to change that.

"We just wanted to keep it as simple as we could really. I don’t think he was doing a lot in front. He has gone through that ground, but I don’t think he loves it as much as a slightly better surface. That is what is nice with these types of races as you can just freshen him up now rather than being hard on him at home.

“There was a lot of expectation today as he either had some sort of chance in the Gold Cup or he was just an old handicapper. I’m not saying he has beaten a Gold Cup field, but L’homme Presse is a good yard stick to beat today.

“I was confident he wasn’t just an old handicapper as it wasn’t like he was beaten in a handicap as you know where there mark is, but is practically unbeaten in most handicaps so we don’t know where his ceiling is.

“The up and down hills will suit him and he loves undulating tracks. Sean said going fast downhill is what he likes as he is quite a balanced horse.”

Haiti Couleurs wins the Denman

Bowen said: “He was a bit cold in front on his own as he has never had to make the running from the start. He was a bit careful at a few early on, but he warmed into it. I thought he showed a bit of a turn of foot when they came to me. I was surprised how well he did quicken, but he is just a good horse and he makes that easy for you.

“He is going to be a horse that three miles and two furlongs around Cheltenham will really suit him. Whether he is good enough, I don’t know, but everything will suit him on the day.

“He loves Cheltenham which is a big asset to any horse that is going for a Gold Cup. He will stay all day and jump, and he does things like a good horse. Whether he is good enough from the back of the last I don’t know, but he will definitely be in the pitching turning in.

“You want to be riding in Gold Cups. I’ve only ridden in one Gold Cup before when I finished fourth so a few places forward will be nice.”

Presse team ponder options

Venetia Williams said of L'Homme Presse: “His brain wasn’t quite in gear at the start and they have jumped off quite steadily thinking are we still cantering down to the start, then Christ, who put that fence there.

“He has been prone to do that all his life (jump left). If you remember the Fleur de Lys a couple of years ago his brain wasn’t in gear there and he was jumping left, but he very much did that today.

“He finally got racing turning for home. He has run a good race. You come to the races hoping we might finish in front, and we haven’t, we have finished second, but I’m very happy.

“At the end of the day with a horse of that rating you have got limited opportunities. He is in the Grand National, which is a long way away, so we would like to run him somewhere in March so there are few races to consider.”

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