14:05 Doncaster 24 Jan 2026
Virgin Bet Great Yorkshire Chase
Premier Handicap Chase | GBB Race | Class 1 | 5YO plus
Winner £56,950 - 8 ran
held up in rear, slow 11th, outpaced 4 out, made headway after 3 out, ridden to lead before last, ran on
wore hood to post, midfield, front rank 7th, went second 11th, left in lead 13th, shaken up 3 out, pushed along next, ridden and headed before last, ran on same pace flat
in touch, not fluent 4 out, switched right before 3 out, still going okay when pushed along before 2 out, ridden and outpaced approaching last, rallied flat, kept on towards finish
prominent to 1st, soon chased leading pair, briefly shaken up 12th, left in second when hampered 13th, ridden before 3 out, no extra and faded after 2 out
held up in rear, not fluent 6th, untidy 12th, ridden 4 out, brief headway after 2 out, soon no impression, weakened after last
led, headed 4th, lost position after 11th, pushed along and made some headway 4 out, ridden and weakened after 3 out
close up, led 4th, went clear after 12th, not fluent and fell 13th
midfield, dropped to rear after 9th, mistake 10th, struggling 11th, pulled up before 12th
Betting returns
| Type | Winnings |
|---|---|
| CSF | £64.92 (8, 9) |
| Tricast | £684.85 (8, 9, 7) |
| Win | £8.80 (8) |
| Place | £2.60 (8), £2.80 (9), £2.70 (7) |
| Swinger | £10.00 (7, 8), £12.00 (7, 9), £9.60 (8, 9) |
| Exacta | £72.00 (8, 9) |
| Trifecta | £456.70 (8, 9, 7) |
Expert Analysis
The leaders went off at a super-fast pace considering the conditions, and as a result, caused a few problems in behind. Both the first and second favourite failed to get competitive which is something we need to consider when evaluating the quality of this form.
DARTMOOR PIRATE Along with Deep Cave, he was badly outpaced by the frantic early gallop and struggled to stay in touch. Even in the home straight for the final time he appeared to be under pressure and making no headway. The attheraces.com sectional times support how it looked to the eye, in that the leaders slowed down dramatically in the latter stages thus allowing Dartmoor Pirate to close in on them before ultimately running out a convincing looking winner. I am happy to forgive any horse a poor looking performance on this ground and will remain a little wary of this form and result.
NEW ORDER He has developed into a most consistent and reliable chaser, and this was another solid effort from him in recent times. He appeared to handle the ground as well as any and can be competitive again on another day; particularly as the handicapper decided to leave him on 125 after this second place finish.
WALKING ON AIR He was unfortunate not to take this prize in 2024 and ran a fine race in defeat here with this third place finish.
DEEP CAVE He struggled more than any of his rivals to cope with the early pace and never looked happy in the conditions. I will draw a line through this apparently disappointing display.
JOYEUX MACHIN He has seemed likely to have a good performance in him, and this was probably meant to be the day. He was well clear and going very well when coming down at the 13th fence. He remains on the same mark for another day.
GRAND GEST He stopped as if something was amiss and hopefully will live to fight another day.
Video Highlights
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Replay: 14:05 Doncaster 24th Jan 2026
Previous winners
| Year | Going | Ran | Winner | Draw | Age | Weight | OR | Form | Last run | Trainer (Distance) | Jockey | SP | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Good | 13 | Docpickedme | 9 | 11 0 | 129 | PP-6632 | 42 days | R Hobson (135 miles) | Charlie Maggs | 9/ 1 | 5:55.40 | |
| 2024 | Good | 18 | Annual Invictus | 9 | 11 3 | 137 | 3P186-4 | 20 days | C Gordon (200 miles) | Freddie Gordon | 16/ 1 | 5:51.35 | |
| 2023 | Good | 11 | Cooper's Cross | 8 | 10 6 | 128 | 2P-2132 | 27 days | W Coltherd (189 miles) | Sam Coltherd | 16/ 1 | 5:53.25 | |
| 2022 | Good | 16 | Windsor Avenue | 10 | 11 1 | 144 | P360-2P | 34 days | B Ellison (64 miles) | Sean Quinlan | 40/ 1 | 6:03.12 | |
| 2021 | Soft | 11 | Takingrisks | 12 | 11 2 | 146 | 5165-P4 | 63 days | N G Richards (133 miles) | Sean Quinlan | 40/ 1 | 6:13.20 | |
| 2020 | Good to Soft | 14 | Ok Corral | 10 | 11 12 | 146 | 511P-09 | 24 days | N J Henderson (167 miles) | Mr Derek O'Connor | 9/ 1 | 6:02.10 | |
| 2019 | Good | 11 | Go Conquer | 10 | 11 10 | 151 | 1F58-32 | 42 days | N & W Twiston-Davies (141 miles) | Tom Bellamy | 8/ 1 | 5:54.60 | |
| 2018 | Soft | 13 | Wakanda | 9 | 11 0 | 145 | 2P3-252 | 32 days | J Parkinson & S Smith (43 miles) | Henry Brooke | 8/ 1 | 6:09.40 | |
| 2017 | Good | 14 | Ziga Boy | 8 | 10 11 | 137 | 18-65U3 | 49 days | A King (176 miles) | Tom Bellamy | 10/ 1 | 6:06.49 | |
| 2016 | Good | 15 | Ziga Boy | 7 | 10 0 | 133 | P46-P31 | 32 days | A King (176 miles) | Brendan Powell | 8/ 1 | 6:03.24 | |
| 2015 | Good to Soft | 14 | If In Doubt | 7 | 10 11 | 139 | 229-U21 | 39 days | P Hobbs & J White (240 miles) | A P McCoy | 4/ 1 | 6:05.50 | |
| 2014 | Soft | 15 | The Rainbow Hunter | 10 | 10 9 | 136 | P4UP-26 | 63 days | K Bailey & M Nicholls (141 miles) | Nick Scholfield | 25/ 1 | 6:23.50 | |
| 2012 | Good to Soft | 15 | Calgary Bay | 9 | 11 11 | 151 | 42F-851 | 27 days | Miss H C Knight (161 miles) | D Elsworth | 12/ 1 | 5:54.40 | |
| 2009 | Soft | 13 | Big Fella Thanks | 7 | 11 2 | 136 | 12-322U | 28 days | P F Nicholls (209 miles) | C Williams | 9/ 2 | 6:30.50 | |
| 2008 | Good | 22 | An Accordion | 7 | 10 8 | 132 | 2113-P6 | 25 days | D Pipe (238 miles) | J Farrelly | 11/ 2 | 5:56.70 | |
| 2007 | Soft | 12 | Simon | 8 | 11 2 | 132 | 211-526 | 31 days | J L Spearing (145 miles) | Andrew Thornton | 7/ 1 | 6:40.70 | |
| 2006 | Good to Soft | 16 | A Glass In Thyne | 8 | 10 12 | 128 | 3214-7 | 77 days | B N Pollock (99 miles) | Andrew Thornton | 16/ 1 | 6:37.90 |
