The RSA Steeple Chase is run on the Wednesday of the festival and is a novice chase run over 3 miles 1/2 furlong, with 19 fences to be jumped. The "RSA" monicker comes from the races sponser, RSA Insurance Group (formerly "Royal & Sun Alliance" Insurance), who have sponsored the race since 1974. The race is the ultimate test for staying novice chasers and has thrown up plenty of Gold Cup winners - Bobs Worth, Denman and Looks Like Trouble the most recent examples, and Long Run finished 3rd to Weapons Amnesty in 2010 before claiming the Blue Riband 12 months later. However, there are those who feel the RSA is a very gruelling race for a novice and that it can actually take so much out of a young chaser that they don't go on to reproduce the form. The race certainly seems to have left its mark on Weapon's Amnesty, who has only run once in almost 4 years since winning. As with all novice races at the festival, the key question at this stage is, which horses will run in which race? Novice chasers have the Arkle, Jewson, RSA, the 4 mile National Hunt Challenge Chase and the Novices Handicap on day 1 to aim at and the uncertainty is reflected in the open market at the moment (prices from Bet 365 23rd October): Champagne Fever 14 Smad Place 14 African Gold 14 Holywell 16 Chatterbox 16 Just A Par 18 Coneygree 20 Shutthefrontdoor 20 33/1 bar One horse not listed by Bet 365 who has already put an early season marker in the ground is Paul Nicholls Sonofvic. Only Paddy Power quote him (20/1, 27 available on Betfair) but he recorded a bloodless victory over Kentford Grey Lady yesterday and has a good level of experience, being a "second season novice". He finished 2 lengths second to Grands Crus on his chase debut at Newbury last season and a bad slip cost him any chance in the "Dipper" thereafter. Paul Nicholls decided to run him in the Pertemps Final at the festival and it nearly paid off with place money, Sonofvic falling at the last hurdle when holding 4th place. Looks a decent prospect but will he go RSA or 4-miler? Back to the question of who runs where ...........................
Exactly. And that’s why to my eye this race, like almost all the novice heats at Cheltenham, is a total no-go area for the ante-post punter these days. Last term, of course, in this heat thousands upon thousands had their fingers burnt when at the last moment long term ante-post fave, Dynaste, defected to the ‘Jewsons’. It may happen again this term as the choice available to connections of novices at the Festival is now almost never ending. Cheltenham once the doyen and pinnacle for the ante-post punter has been totally ruined, I’m afraid, for anyone who likes an ante-post punt by the introduction of so many races.
Barney's hit the nail on the head. You may as well set fire to your money as back in any of the novice events prior to final declarations. With changing ground conditions and connections looking for the best winning chance it's a betting minefield. They say too much choice is a bad thing but for the Festival novice events it's definitely been bad for ante-post punters. Off the top of my head, backers of Peddlers Cross for the Arkle, Sir de Champs for the RSA and Dynaste for the RSA can testify to that. And with the massive competitiveness of the 'on the day' markets why the hell even bet ante-post anyway? Last week Dawn Approach was 9-4 pretty much up until the day of the race when lo and behold 7-2 was available. Ante-post betting is more pointless now than ever before...
Have to agree generally gents - the bookies miss no opportunity to squeeze value out of a horse's price. Although I did manage to grab a very nice chunk of 9/2 on Hurricane Fly for last season's Champion Hurdle around Christmas time
By the way, I'm not starting all these Cheltenham threads for ante post purposes, i want to build up a comprehensive dossier of information for each race prior to the day in order to help the forum make informed choices. It also gives me something to focus on during the dark winter months
Just a few stats for you on the RSA... From 2009-2013 the below list shows what the top 3 have done since there showing in thier particular RSA Chase... 2009 Winner - Cooldine... Has run 15 times since, placing 3 times only. Ran in the 2010 Gold Cup where he came 5th RU - Horner Woods... Run 7 times since with no wins or places 3rd - Massini Maguire... Run 5 times with 2 victories... 2010 Winner - Weapons Amnesty... Run on only the one occasion, being pulled up... RU - Burton Port... Run 5 times, winning one and placing in another 3. Ran in the 2012 Gold Cup where he came 4th... 3rd - Long Run... Run 11 times, winning 4, placed on 6. Won the 2011 Gold Cup and ran in the 2011 + 2012 Gold Cups... 2011 Winner - Bostons Angel... Run 12 times, placing 3 times only... RU - Jessies Dream - Has not run since this race... 3rd - Wayward Prince... Run 11 times with 1 win and 1 placed. Came 7th in the 2013 Gold Cup... 2012 Winner - Bobs Worth... Has run 2 times since winning both, the 2012 Hennessy Gold Cup and the 2013 Gold Cup... RU - First Lieutenant... Run 9 times, winning 1, placed 5 times. Ran in the 2012 Gold Cup... 3rd - Call The Ploice... Run 9 times, winning 2... 2013 Winner - Lord Windermere... Has not run since... RU - Lyreen Legend... Run once since, came 3rd... 4rd - Hadrians Approach... Run once since, came 5th... We have also seen... Carruthers, RSA in 2009, and has run 3 times in the Gold Cup, 2010/11/12... What A Friend, RSA in 2009, running twice in the Gold Cup, 2011/12... Diamond Harry, RSA 2010, a runner in the 2012 Gold Cup... Time For Rupert, RSA in 2012, a runner in the 2012 Gold Cup... I suppose its very much a mixed bag with the RSA, and one where a really good horse can come out of it, but Weapons Amnesty and Jessies Dream have appeared only once between them since... The 2012 RSA is the most recent one that has had the most success from it, but its not up against much when you look within the last 5 years that ive looked at... It dos produce Gold Cup winners and runners for the future, and the previous 2 years winners - (i only went back 5 years), were Albertas Run and Denman and they won a few races between them didnt they... Its fair to say Oddy, you make a good point, as most of the top 3 in their respective years races dont seem to improve for their efforts in the future... Food for thought...
Don Cossack has put an early season stake in the ground with a bloodless victory at Galway yesterday over 2m6f and is now anywhere between 12 and 16/1 for the RSA. His jumping was impeccable for a novice, particularly at the two fences in close proximity at the bottom of the hill, which can be awkward for a novice. All in all a very impressive debut and it will be very interesting to see him upped in class for races like the Fort Leney or Dr. P J Moriarty.
From the list on the opening post 2 that catch my eye from last year have to be Chatterbox who looks to have a serious engine on him and was made for chasing and also African Gold who had a fantastic season hurdling only finding At Fishers Cross too good in the Albert Bartlett(or did he finish 3rd behind Inish Island?). Again he looks to be a very classy individual and if someone held a gun to my head at this stage of the season that would be my 2 picks.
This is shaping up to be potentially one of the more interesting novice races. Does Don Cossack run? Could see him going for the 2m4 race. Ballycasey, classy horse but one run over fences at 2m1, assuming he will be having another run but hes never struck me as the dour type that normally wins the RSA, not for me just now at 8/1 Carlingford Lough, beneficiary of a class ride from McCoy last time, too exposed for my liking and I cant be having him for this. Morning Assembly, really like this horse as most on here will know but I have a few issues with him, I thought he was a bit disappointing last time, he is almost certainly at his best on soft ground and maybe the most important one, no Ruby Walsh at the festival. Good chance Davy Russell will end up on him but Walsh has got to know him well this season and there is none better round Cheltenham. Will run a race im sure but not for me at this stage. Corrin Wood is very interesting, looks like being McCains best chance of a winner outside handicaps at the festival, seems a very good jumper and his form looks quite strong. I think he is a very decent tool and will run a massive race but he just misses out on earning the check mark from MOG. Which brings me to the selection, Le Bec 16/1, massive horse who has taken his form to another level as expected since encountering fences. Proven himself over the c+d this season as probably the best staying novice chaser in England and the important thing for me, needs good ground. I can forgive him getting beat last time as the ground looked a bit softer than described and he only got tired late on over a furlong further than the RSA trip giving 8 pounds to the winner. He was still only 5 then and with further improvement guaranteed, if Lavelle gets him there in good form and they get the good ground then he is no 16/1 shot.
I'm on LE BEC myself, has a course chase win, being saved from the heavy ground, jumps for fun and has a massive chance
Annacotty, who showed at the weekend his liking for a battle, and if the ground comes up spring like, I think he will take a good deal of catching. He is the one novice horse I have seen at Cheltenham that seems to be able to go a proper clip over fences and get things off the bridle from a long way out.
Im off Le Bec, Don Cossack now since I knew he was running. Will have to fling a saver on Le Bec though, especially if they get good ground.
