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 ...........................
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 ...........................
