Becher Handicap Chase Trends: All the stats you need to know for Grand National Trial
You can check out all the Becher Handicap Chase trends ahead of the Aintree contest on Saturday 9th December, where there will be some vital Grand National clues emerging from the iconic trial over the unique Aintree fences. Here at Horseracing.net we take a look at all the vital trends to know before trying to select the winner of the race...
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Age
Open to horses aged six years and older, the Becher Handicap Chase often attracts a field full of experienced jumpers and so it can often see older horses come to the fore. During the last ten years two veterans have claimed victory in the race with the 13-year-old Oscar Time being the oldest winner in 2014. However, two years previously in 2012 the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Hello Bud rolled back his 14 years to land the prize in style, so it's certainly one of those races that can often see experience rise to the top. Here are the statistics for the age of the winner over the last decade.
Age Of Winners In Last 10 Years
- 7 - 1 winner
- 8 - 3 winners
- 9 - 4 winners
- 10 - 0 winners
- 11+ - 2 winners
Starting Price
Often a hugely competitive betting heat, there have been three winning favourites in the Becher in the last decade with the shortest of those winners being the 7/4 Blaklion in the 2017 renewal for Nigel Twiston-Davies. It certainly is a race that needs a type of horse to win it, so it's not been won by any real outsiders in recent times, but the abovementioned teenager Oscar Time was the biggest priced winner at 25/1 when he claimed the crown. Check out the list of SPs for the winners over the last ten years.
SP Of Winner In Last 10 Years
- Evs to 3/1 - 1 winner
- 100/30 to 6/1 - 2 winners
- 13/2 to 10/1 - 3 winners
- 11/1 to 18/1 - 2 winners
- 20/1+ - 2 winners
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Weight
As well as it being a real jumping test, it's also stamina that wins the day as the 3m 2f in soft going can see the lighter weights come to the fore and the last decade has shown that those towards the top of the handicap can struggle to land the prize. James Moffatt's Highland Lodge carried the featherweight of 10st to victory in the 2015 renewal, while the biggest weight carried to victory in recent times is Blaklion, who defied 11st 6lbs to bag the coveted title.
Weight Carried By Last 10 Winners
- 10st - 10st 6lbs - 4 winners
- 10st 7lbs - 11st - 4 winners
- 11st 1lbs - 11st 6lbs - 2 winners
- 11st 7lbs+ - 0 winners
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Rating
With it being a handicap it can be a race that attracts a host of horses with different ratings, so those with a low rating will carry less weight than those with a high rating. It's been the lowly rated, light-weighted horses that have the upper hand in recent times and a whopping nine of the last ten winners have been rated 142 or lower. The anomaly in that was the 153-rated Blaklion, who used his win as a springboard to the Grand National, but he was brought down in the 2018 National having finished fourth the previous year.
Official Rating Of Last 10 Winners
- 130 - 135 - 2 winners
- 136 - 140 - 5 winners
- 141 - 145 - 2 winners
- 146 - 150 - 0 winners
- 151+ - 1 winners
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Trainers
The Becher Handicap Chase is often one of the end of year targets for emerging handicap chasers that are looking to gain experience over the Aintree Grand National fences before a possible tilt at the big event in April. British trainers have a fine record in the contest and in the last ten years the trainers with the most wins in the race are Robert Walford, who saddled Walk In The Mill to back-to-back wins in 2018 and 2019 and David Pipe, who saddled the legendary Vieux Lion Rouge to victory on two occasions in 2016 and 2020.
Trainers To Win Becher Handicap Chase In Last 10 Years
- Robert Walford - 2 wins
- David Pipe - 2 wins
- Philip Hobbs - 1 win
- Robert Waley-Cohen - 1 win
- James Moffatt - 1 win
- Nigel Twiston-Davies - 1 win
- Charlie Longsdon - 1 win
- Dan Skelton - 1 win