Denman Chase Runners Guide: Tough Quartet To Battle At Newbury

A proper Grade 2 this, even if the numbers are on the skinny side. Newbury’s Denman Chase (2m7f) is usually all about one thing: who can travel sweetly through the middle of the race, then keep finding from three out when the tank gets tested. With the ground set to ride soft (with heavy patches reported on the hurdles track), stamina and accurate jumping suddenly matter just as much as class.

You’ve basically got four very different profiles colliding: a battle-hardened Grade 1 operator, a staying monster who can turn it into a slog, a progressive type stepping up into deeper waters, and a tough handicapper trying to crash the party. Here’s the runner-by-runner guide, and Billy Grimshaw's 1-2-3 call.

1. L’HOMME PRESSE - 11yo - Venetia Williams & Charlie Deutsch

If you want a proven big-race chaser with serious Cheltenham pedigree, it’s L’HOMME PRESSE. He’s been around the block, won at the very top level, and still looks as enthusiastic as ever when he’s on song. The big question these days is not ability, it’s whether he can still put together a peak effort when the tempo lifts and the pressure comes on late.

His recent second in the Cotswold Chase on Festival Trials Day was a strong piece of evidence that the fire still burns. He made the running, looked the likely winner turning for home, and only got headed late by Spillane’s Tower, keeping on gamely all the way up the hill. That was over further than this and on soft ground, so he ticks plenty of boxes for Saturday.

Newbury is a different exam to Cheltenham though. It’s flatter, it can feel relentless when they quicken from three out, and you need to hold a position without burning petrol. If he gets into that fluent, attacking rhythm in front or just off it, he is absolutely the one the others have to beat on pure class. But if this turns into a stamina war from a long way out, he may have to dig very deep against a rival who lives for that scenario.

2. RISKINTHEGROUND - 9yo - Dan Skelton & (declared rider varies)

The wildcard in the field is RISKINTHEGROUND, because his profile is more handicap than Grade 2, and he’s taking a big jump up in class. He’s a likeable, tough type from a yard that always targets these Saturday TV races, but he’s got plenty to prove at this level and at this trip against seasoned Graded operators.

The most recent run in a Premier Handicap at Cheltenham did not go to plan, and he finished well down the field. That alone doesn’t make him a no-hoper, but it does underline the size of the task when the tempo is strong and the opposition can quicken and stay. You can argue he’s better when able to bowl along in his comfort zone, jump his way into a race, and turn it into a test of rhythm rather than raw class.

If Saturday becomes messy, attritional, and the principals underperform, then he’s the sort who can keep galloping and pick up pieces. But if the big two do what they’re supposed to do, he looks the most vulnerable on paper. To feature, he probably needs to ride the track, get into a clear jumping rhythm, and hope the others make it a stamina contest rather than a class contest.

3. HAITI COULEURS - 9yo - Rebecca Curtis & Sean Bowen

There is no subtlety with HAITI COULEURS, and that’s why he’s so dangerous. He’s a relentless galloper with deep stamina, and if he gets rolling from the front he can drag very good horses out of their comfort zones. The Welsh Grand National win was the ultimate statement of that style: keep it simple, jump, gallop, and ask the others to suffer for as long as possible.

He did have that ugly run when pulled up in the Betfair Chase at Haydock, but the key point is what happened after it. His connections got him right, and he came roaring back with a huge staying performance in the Welsh National. That tells you the engine is still very much there, and it also tells you he’s not one to judge off a single off-day.

The Denman trip is obviously shorter than his big staying targets, but in soft ground it can still ride like a proper stamina test at Newbury, especially if he’s allowed to dictate. The tactical question is whether he goes forward and tries to turn it into a grind, or whether they ride with a bit more restraint so he can finish off better over 2m7f. Either way, if he’s jumping and in a rhythm, he’s the one most likely to make this a proper scrap.

4. LEAVE OF ABSENCE - 9yo - Anthony Honeyball & Rex Dingle

LEAVE OF ABSENCE is the interesting improver, because he’s still lightly raced for his age and he’s already shown he can handle Newbury. He won here in 2025, and he comes into this on the back of a big performance at Ascot in December when he was only headed right on the line by Deep Cave in a valuable 2m7f handicap chase.

That Ascot run matters, because it shows he can cope with a competitive pace over a similar sort of trip, and he can travel and jump under pressure. What he hasn’t yet proved is that he can do it when the opposition are proven Grade performers and the race becomes a tactical battle, not just a handicap where weight and momentum can swing things.

Still, he’s the one I can most easily see outrunning market expectations if he gets a smooth passage. If the front end goes hard and a couple of the bigger names get found out late, he’s got the profile to be the one staying on when it matters. To win, he likely needs one of the top two to underperform, but to hit the frame he makes plenty of appeal.