Kingmaker Chase Day at Warwick in February is one of the most important afternoons in the National Hunt season. Many leading trainers in the UK use the meeting to give their horses a final run before the Cheltenham Festival in March.
The highlight of the card is the Kingmaker Novice Chase, but the meeting also includes the Warwick Mares’ Hurdle.
Arkle Clues Could Be Found Again in Novice Contest
Edwardstone jumped to the head of the Arkle market after an authoritative victory over Third Time Lucki in the Kingmaker Novices' Chase at Warwick… @tomcannon2
— Sky Sports Racing (@SkySportsRacing) February 12, 2022
Edwardstone was successful in the Kingmaker Novice Chase in 2022 before going on to win the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham a month later. Last February, Jonbon won the Warwick contest and then finished a close second behind El Fabiolo in the day one contest at the Festival.
This year’s Kingmaker Novice Chase field is likely to include Djelo, a horse trained by Venetia Williams in Hertfordshire. He is 20/1 to win the 2024 Arkle Trophy but those looking to back the novice chaser should consider a Cheltenham betting offer before placing their bet. If you are a new customer, you can get up to £50 money back as a free bet on horse racing with Paddy Power.
Djelo has won all three of his starts over fences, with his latest success coming at Ascot in the Grade Two Howden Noel Novices’ Chase. Williams’ runner made all the running in the race, eventually scoring by six lengths. A big performance at Warwick could see him enhance his reputation further.
Le Patron is another of the British-based contenders who looks set to contest the Kingmaker Novice Chase. The unbeaten chaser prevailed at the highest level back in December when he won the Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown on Tingle Creek Day.
Gary Moore’s novice already has an official rating of 150 and he represents one of Britain’s best chances of overcoming the Irish challengers in this year’s Arkle Trophy.
Marie’s Rock Bidding for Second Warwick Mares’ Hurdle Triumph
Marie's Rock is heading back down the Mares' Hurdle route!
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) January 2, 2024
Nicky Henderson’s mare Marie’s Rock won the Warwick Mares’ Hurdle in 2022, beating just three rivals in the Listed contest. She then stepped up in class to land the Grade One Mares’ Hurdle at the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.
Henderson is opting for the same path this season for this mare in the final months of the campaign. She has had two runs so far in the campaign but has yet to get her nose in front. Her seasonal reappearance came at Newbury in the Grade Two Long Distance Hurdle where she was fourth, while on New Year’s Day, she was second in the Relkeel Hurdle behind Bob Olinger.
The race at Warwick will see Marie’s Rock meet her own sex once again for the first time this season. It will be a much easier assignment for her than she has faced on her last two starts. With a rating of 150, she remains one of the highest-rated mares in training in the UK or Ireland.
A big crowd is set to attend Warwick racecourse for Kingmaker Chase Day, while terrestrial cameras will also be at the venue to broadcast the leading races on a stellar card.
