National Hunt racing's top trainers set sights on £36,000 prize at Market Rasen Racecourse

National Hunt racing’s top trainers have all set their sights on the £36,000 Mansionbet Best Odds Guaranteed Prelude Chase, the feature race on Market Rasen’s October meeting this Saturday.

Horses from the yards of Champion Trainer Nicky Henderson and his great rival Paul Nicholls,enjoying a memorable month, are amongst those with entries on the seven race card.

Henderson’s Jen’s Boy and Nicholls’ Red Risk,both owned by the Middleham Park syndicates with dozens of shareholders are amongst 22 entries in the big race, run over the same distance as the flagship Betway Summer Plate in July.

Their potential rivals include two runners from leading West Country yards, with Philip Hobbs making an entry for Garde La Victoire, a winner of 12 of his 30 races, and Colin Tizzard’s yard looking at the race for Sizing at Midnight, a winner of both his races this summer.

The other possible include Fidux, the runner up in the Betway Summer Plate, and a rising star from the Kim Bailey yard,which has an excellent strike rate at Market Rasen in the shape of Two for Gold, the winner of a Grade 2 Novice Chase at Warwick at the start of 2020.

The supporting card has healthy entries, and there’s no doubt about the potential highlight, and that’s in the Novice Chase.

The entries suggest another possible clash between Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls. Henderson has put Grade 1 winning hurdler Fusili Raffles, who won on his chasing debut into the race where he could meet Pic d’Orhy, last seen winning the big Betfair Hurdle at Newbury in February.

Looking ahead to Saturday, General Manager of Market Rasen Racecourse, Nadia Powell said: “We are delighted to welcome Mansionbet who return to sponsor our entire card and the feature Prelude Chase looks exciting and hugely competitive.

Meanwhile if the horses entered for the Novice Chase all arrive in Lincolnshire those at home watching the Racing TV coverage of the entire card are in for a treat. All of us at Market Rasen are very appreciative of all the support we have had from Owners and Trainers throughout the summer, and we much look forward to more of the same on Saturday."