Ziga Boy - dual Sky Bet Chase winner
Ziga Boy - dual Sky Bet Chase winner

Sky Bet Chase: Mike Vince on famous renewals of the race


Mike Vince has a question for you to answer - and many happy memories - as he recalls previous renewals of the Sky Bet Chase at Doncaster.

Which Derby-winning trainer also landed a renewal of the Sky Bet Chase- or as it was known then the Great Yorkshire?

Read on…

This is Doncaster’s flagship jumps race and the Town Moor fences provide a good but fair test- so much so that it’s always a competitive big field handicap- as the Roll of Honour shows.

In its early days the quality was exceptional with two Grand National winners, Freebooter and Nicolaus Silver, claiming the prize and another top name on the winners list is Bregawn, the hero of the 1982 renewal, who went on to lead home the Dickinson Famous Five in the Cheltenham Gold Cup 14 months later.

And 30 years ago the winner, Man O’Magic, was trained by a certain Kim Bailey!

A year ago, clearly trying to persuade connections to book him for the horse at the Festival, Irish legend Derek O’Connor flew to Yorkshire to land the Sky Bet Chase on OK Corral- providing Nicky Henderson with his first winner of the race.

It will come as no surprise with such a fiercely competitive handicap that favourites don’t have a good record. The last to win was If In Doubt in 2015- no doubt in part to the fact it was ridden by Tony McCoy, while all the winners since, including dual hero Ziga Boy, starting at between 8/1 and 10/1.

Yorkshire trainers love to see off anyone in arrives in the White Rose County in search of their prize money, and three years ago they ended a long search for victory when Sue Smith sent out Wakanda to win under Henry Brooke.

Again Saturdays race will throw up clues galore - many for Aintree in April.

And the Derby winning trainer who saddled a winner of this race?

Ian Balding. Moor Lane in 2002.

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