The RSA Chase is one of the biggest horse racing betting events at the Cheltenham Festival, with the best novice chasers competing over three miles.

Often viewed as a stepping stone for next year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup, the RSA Chase is a race that every trainer, owner and jockey wants to win.

The race was first held in 1946 and it has been an ever-present at the Cheltenham Festival in all but two of the last 73 years. Here, we take a look at some of the most important RSA Chase pointers from the last 20 renewals of the race.

 

Statistics and trends are crucial when planning your bets ahead of the Cheltenham Festival – here are our favourite RSA Chase trends going into the 2020 meeting:

  • 20/20 were NOT older than the race average age for that year.
  • All 20 winners last won over three miles or shorter.
  • 20/20 had no more than one career fall.
  • 19 out of 20 had raced between eight and 16 times.
  • 19/20 had finished in the places between five and 10 times.
  • 19 out of 20 winners had raced between three and six times that season.
  • 19/20 winners had finished in the places between two and four times that season.
  • 18/20 had ran over between two miles five furlongs and three miles last time out.
  • 18 out of 20 winners had raced between three and five times over fences.
  • 18/20 were within the first eight in the horse racing betting odds.

Top Trainers For The RSA Chase

Willie Mullins and the legendary Fulke Walwyn lead the way with four RSA Chase winners apiece ahead of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival.

Allaho and Easy Game could fly the flag for the Mullins yard this year but will they come out on top at Prestbury Park?

In recent times, Nicky Henderson and Paul Nicholls have also had plenty of success in this race.

The top two UK trainers have combined for six RSA Chase winners since 2004, with the likes of Denman, Bobs Worth and Might Bite claiming the three-mile novice chase.

Brown Advisory Novices Chase Prize Money

According to figures obtained by Racing TV, the total prize money allocated for the 2020 RSA Chase is £175,000. Champ is currently favourite to claim victory for trainer Nicky Henderson but will the JP McManus runner live up to the hype?


*Credit for the photo in this article belongs to Alamy*

Steven is a sports and horse racing enthusiast and is a member of the Horseracing Writers and Photographers Association (HWPA) in the United Kingdom.

He is a regular visitor to Paris Longchamp for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and a lifelong fan of the Aintree Grand National, a subject he writes about 52 weeks of the year. Last year he reached the impressive milestone of attending the last 30 renewals of the Grand National.