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William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase
Race Conditions
The William Hill Trophy (2:40pm) is the first big handicap of the meeting and is, therefore, a very popular betting heat. It is a Class A Grade 3 chase run over three miles and about half a furlong. It is open to horses aged five years old and upwards. The total prize fund is £80,000.
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Recent Winners
As with all the handicaps run at the Festival, the race often features a large field and is fiercely competitive. Antonin, in 1994, was the last favourite to justify his position at the head of the market, and it is crucial to find an improving well handicapped sort.
Stamina is often also a key characteristic to look for in potential winners as another fast gallop ensures that that runners need to get every inch of the three mile trip. Not surprisingly, therefore, the race has become a steeping stone to the Grand National, although only Rough Quest has done the double in recent years.
| Year | Horse | Age | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Wichita Lineman | 8 | Jonjo O'Neill | 5/1F |
| 2008 | An Accordion | 7 | D Pipe | 7/1 |
| 2007 | Joes Edge | 10 | F Murphy | 50/1 |
| 2006 | Dun Doire | 7 | A Martin | 7/1 |
| 2005 | Kelami | 7 | F Doumen | 8/1 |
| 2004 | Fork Lightening | 8 | A King | 7/1 |
| 2003 | Youlneverwalkalone | 9 | C Roche | 7/1 |
| 2002 | Frenchman’s Creek | 8 | H Morrison | 8/1 |
| 2000 | Marlborough | 8 | N Henderson | 11/2 |
| 1999 | Betty’s Boy | 10 | K Bailey | 25/1 |
| 1998 | Unguided Missile | 10 | G Richards | 10/1 |
| 1997 | Flyer’s Nap | 11 | R Alner | 20/1 |
| 1996 | Maamur | 8 | T Forster | 13/2 |
| 1995 | Rough Quest | 9 | T Casey | 16/1 |
| 1994 | Antonin | 6 | Mrs S Bramall | 4/1F |
Key Trends
Only two winning favourites have won since 1977.
The last 10 winners carried less than 11 stone.
No winner rated 150+ for 27 years.
No horse aged 11+ has been placed since 1997 - from 29 runners.
5 of the last 7 winners won on their previous outing.
2010 William Hill Trophy Preview
The first of the big Festival handicaps and a cracking race in prospect with some top class staying chasers set to line up.
Staying chasers are, of course, very much Paul Nicholls’ forte so it is no surprise to see him have a number of fancied entries, namely The Tother One, Tatenen and Kicks For Free.
The Tother One was disappointing last time in the Welsh National, but that run probably came too quickly after a decent effort here behind The Package. He could still be well handicapped, despite having to lump top weight.
Tatenen will be trying this trip over fences for the first time, but he has always looked like he’d appreciate it and he would appear to have stronger claims than Kicks For Free.
The Tother One’s conqueror at Cheltenham The Package could re-oppose here. He’s gone up considerably in the weights as a result of that win, but is young, and lightly raced, enough to still be improving.
His stablemate, Seven Is My Number could also be a big threat. He is quirky, but very talented and could be suited by the likely fast pace throughout.
Jonjo O’Neill was successful last season with Wichita Lineman and has a chance of repeating that success with Theatrical Moment, who has really found his form recently. Again, he won’t be inconvinienced by drying ground and novices often run well in this race.
Another novice to note is Bensalem for Alan King. He has been beaten twice by Diamond Harry this season, but may have been an unlucky loser last time. He is well handicapped on his old novice hurdle form and if he can brush up his jumping should be thereabouts as he stays so well.
Another King runner, Nenuphar Collonges ran a blinder to be a very close third in this race last season. He has been kept fresh for this and often saves his best for Cheltenham – he won the Albert Bartlett here in 2008.
Another former Festival winner, Character Building will also be well suited by the large field and end to end gallop. He usually travels well in his races, and although he doesn’t always find much in front that possibly means that the handicapper still won’t know exactly how good he is.
A third Festival winner, Cappa Bleu, won last season’s Foxhunters in impressive style, but people got a bit carried away with that form and he has been a bit disappointing since. He may run in the Albert Bartlett instead.
By contrast, Calgary Bay has been disappointing the twice he has run at the Festival to date, which has to be a worry. However, he is very talented and bounced back to form with a fine win at Doncaster last time. He is also entered in the Gold Cup.
Nigel Twiston-Davies is another trainer with multiple entries. Of them, Razor Royale has been in excellent form recently, but had a hard race last time out, whilst Knowhere has been tumbling down the weights as a result of some poor efforts, but showed signs of a return to life last time out.
Jayo looks best of the Irish, whilst Niche Market is also worth a mention as he has running well in big races and was unlucky not to win the AON Chase at Newbury last time.
Finally, best of the outsiders may be New Alco - a former top handicapper, who was third in this race in 2008, but has been off the track for nearly 700 days, and Palypso De Creek, who might just improve again on better ground.
Galant Nuit, Finger Onthe Pulse and Isn’t That Lucky would be of interest, but seem unlikely to get a run at this stage due to the high number of horse still standing their ground.
CONCLUSION: A really competitive contest in prospect, with any number of horses in with a chance, but BENSALEM is the selection in the hope that his jumping stands up. If it doesn’t, fellow novice Theatrical Moment, may be best placed to pick up the pieces, whilst New Alco shouldn’t be written off given his trainer’s great record with chasers here.
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2009 William Hill Trophy Review
A race that will live long in the memory thanks to a sensational riding performance from Tony McCoy on board the previous Festival winner, WICHITA LINEMAN. Running in snatches, and jumping poorly, throughout, JP McManus’ gelding looked anything but the likely winner three out. However, McCoy refused to give in and the winner stormed up the run in to deny the gallant Maljimar in the shadow of the winning post.
Wichita Lineman became only the second novice to win this fiercely competitive handicap and on this evidence his future surely lies over extreme distances.
Maljimar did everything right, travelling well throughout and looking the likely winner running down the hill for the final time. By the time he turned into the straight, it appeared that the final fence was his only danger, but having been four or five lengths up on the run in he appeared to idle in front and was caught close home. He is ultra consistent and deserves to win another big race.
The fact the Nenuphar Collonges finished third suggests that this turned into something of a stamina test – a fact that was emphasised by how well strung out the field was when the winner crossed the line. Nenuphar Collonges was also closing fast at the finish and could be a threat in this race again next year.
Dear Villez put up a solid performance to finish fourth under a big weight. He was well in contention until losing ground with a poor jump two out.
The Sawyer, in fifth, usually runs well here and he deserves plenty of credit for sticking to his task after being headed after the second last.
Ollie Magern (eighth) also ran creditably as he isn’t getting any younger and has had plenty of tough battles in his time.
Of the rest, Millennium Royal, (seventeenth), probably needs softer ground, whilst Patsy Hall might have had a say in the finish had he not come to grief at the penultimate flight.
Tony McCoy celebrates aboard 2009 William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase winner Wichita Lineman.
2008 William Hill Trophy Review
A smaller field than usual for this ultra competitive handicap and one packed full of experienced, top class chasers.
One of those, Ollie Magern, set a fierce early gallop which meant that the field was well strung out by the death and there was an even greater emphasis on stamina than usual.
The effort of eventual winner, AN ACCORDION, was even more impressive, therefore, given that he had been lying just off the pace throughout.
He battled on gamely up the straight after looking likely to be swamped by a series of rivals after jumping the second last and it may be that he idles in front. Clearly he has benefited from the fitting of blinkers, which not only helped him to win here but also at Doncaster in the Skybet Chase on his previous start. The Grand National would seem like an ideal long term target.
New Alco had been freshened up for this race and the break seemed to do the trick as he ran right up to his best after some disappointing early season efforts. He always seems to perform well here and deserves a big prize.
L’Ami (fourth in the 2006 Gold Cup) had slipped to an attractive handicap mark and almost made it pay. However, having been scrubbed along by Tony McCoy from some way out, he was never quite able to reach the leaders and faded in the shadow of the post to just lose out on second place.
Patsy Hall and Abragante had appeared to be the two travelling best of all turning for home. However, neither found much when push came to shove and whilst the former possibly didn’t stay in the rain softened ground (a mistake at the last certainly didn’t aid his cause), the latter seems to be a bit of a thinker and possibly saves plenty for himself.
There was a yawning gap back to the rest, although Ollie Magern ran with credit for a long way under his big weight.
2007 William Hill Trophy Review
Ferdy Murphy’s remarkable run with staying chasers at recent Festivals continued in thrilling fashion in the William Hill Trophy as formerly top class novice, JOES EDGE, returned to form with a bang in a dramatic finale to this valuable handicap.
The first three home were separated by less than a neck, with the winner coming from well off the pace to get his head in front on the line. Both the runner up and the third, Juveingeur and Distant Thunder, had looked the likely winner at different times on the run in, but neither could quite resist the powerful late surge of the winner.
Joe Edge’s return to form could probably best be explained by the drying ground, as decent underfoot conditions have always suited this horse and whilst he has been in the doldrums somewhat since his victory in the 2005 Scottish National, a lot of his runs since then have been on unfavourable going. He is also very much a spring horse
Juveingeur is becoming something of a Cheltenham specialist in general and Festival specialist in particular. He won the Kim Muir in 2005 and was second in this race in 2006. Given that the margin of defeat was so small, his mistake at the last probably cost him dear. He is ultra consistent in these big races, but that may be his downfall as the handicapper is unlikely to relent.
Distant Thunder looked to have stolen the race when kicking clear of the field after being left in front two out by the departure of Heltornic. However, he just couldn’t quite sustain his effort up the punishing Cheltenham hill, although he finished well clear of the fourth. The move to Noel Chance has clearly reinvigorated the horse and compensation surely awaits.
Heltornic was the unlucky horse of the race as she was still travelling well when making a terrible hash of the notorious second last. She has been in such good form recently that it would be hard to say with any confidence that she wouldn’t have been able to hang on to her lead.
New Alco was a much more fancied stablemate of the winner, but could never get in a blow on ground that was probably quicker than he likes.
Very sadly, another of the fancied runners, Little Brick fractured a shoulder when making a bad mistake at the final ditch. He was still very much in contention at the time.
2006 William Hill Trophy Review
A typical renewal of this competitive handicap, with a fierce end to end gallop and a well strung out field by the end of the stamina sapping trip.
DUN DOIRE has had another incredible season by any standards, having gone up 50lbs since his first win of the year, and this was an amazing performance. His cause looked hopeless as the field turned to race downhill for the final time. He was over 20 lengths off the pace, with only a couple of horses behind him, and it appeared that his trainer’s concerns over the quickness of the ground were going to be realised.
However, he virtually sprouted wings after the home turn, and having passed thirteen rivals in the process, he flew up the hill to win going away.
The jockeys aboard Juveigneur (second) and Irish Hussar (third) must have thought they had the race between them after the last and they were surely horrified when the winner, with Ruby Walsh on board, left them for dead on the agonising run to the line. Both ran well, however, and Juveigneur, being lightly raced, could still be improving.
Given the fierce gallop throughout the contest, it probably did DUN DORIE no harm to come from off pace, but very few other horses managed to make up ground from the back to get into a challenging position. Those out with the washing from an early stage included the well supported Moulin Riche (who was let down by his jumping) and Korelo (from the out of form Pipe yard). Both were pulled up.
Novices Model Son (fourth), Bob The Builder (fifth) and Alderburn (seventh) all ran well, although they were all also let down by their jumping to some degree or another. Model Son also looked as though he would be better suited by further.
Veterans Desailly and Seebald both plugged on gamely, and whilst neither ever really threatened to land a blow, they both suggested that they may still have a race or two in them.
Steam rises from horses and jockeys after the 2006 William Hill Trophy Handicap Steeple Chase