Old Roan Chase Odds
Run over two miles and four furlongs, the Old Roan Chase is regularly contested by some big names, and can often prove to be a lively betting heat. You can find the latest odds for the 2020 Old Roan Chase a little closer to the time.
Old Roan Chase Tips
The Old Roan Chase has thrown up a subsequent Cheltenham Festival winner or two over the years, and our tip for the 2020 renewal will appear here closer to the time.
What is the Old Roan Chase?
Run over a distance of two and a half miles, the Grade 2 Monet's Garden Old Roan Chase is a limited handicap chase, and traditionally takes place on a Sunday at Aintree at the end of October each year.
Held on the Mildmay Course, the race is named after the Nicky Richards-trained Monet's Garden, who won the race on three occasions between 2007 and 2010. The race regularly features a big name chaser, and has been won by several subsequent Cheltenham Festival winners, including Kauto Star and Frodon.
What happened in the 2019 Old Roan Chase?
The field for the 2019 Old Roan Chase was a small but select one, and was headlined by the 2018 winner Frodon, who was tasked with shouldering a huge weight off an official mark of 169 - meaning that he had to give away large amounts of weight to the field under regular partner Bryony Frost.
As a result, the market was headed by the Amy Murphy-trained Kalashnikov, who was a top novice the previous season, and was receiving a stone from Frodon, while Forest Bihan and Flying Angel were also well-supported.
The low sun at Aintree meant that the three fences in the straight were omitted on both circuits, and that played into the hands of Forest Bihan, who showed too much speed for Kalashnikov in the closing strides once the weight had told with Frodon - winning by two and three quarter lengths.
It became a sprint for home & Forest Bihan displays the superior turn of foot to capture the @VirginBet Monet's Garden Old Roan Chase @AintreeRaces
🔥 Another winner for Brian Ellison (@BERacingLtd) who has string in fine fettle!
Results ⏩ https://t.co/BnGTfBq5GU https://t.co/K9pWXMqWal
The history of the Old Roan Chase
The Old Roan began life in 2004 as the Wigan Chase, before being renamed to its current title a year later.
The race has been contested by some illustrious names over the years, particularly in its early days, when the great Kauto Star won the race in 2006 before going on to win the King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup later that season. He would return to defend his crown in the Old Roan Chase as the reigning Gold Cup winner the following season, when tasked with defying an official mark of 179, but he was thwarted by the Nicky Richards-trained Monet's Garden, who would go on to win three renewals of this race in his own right.
The fact that the race is a limited handicap means that nowadays the race tends to involve horses who are looking to step into graded company rather than ready-made Gold Cup contenders, but some smart types have won the race of late, including the subsequent Ryanair Chase winner Frodon in 2018.
Who is the most iconic winner of the Old Roan Chase?
Although some big names have contested the Old Roan Chase over the years, the most iconic winner of the race is undoubtedly the horse after whom the horse is named, the three-time winner Monet's Garden.
A three-time Grade 1 winner, winning the Melling Chase at Aintree (2007) and the Ascot Chase twice (2007 and 2010), Monet's Garden's finest moments arguably came away from the Old Roan, but the horse built up a real affinity with the race, contesting it on four occasions in total, and winning three of those outings.
Monet's Garden took some notable scalps with his Old Roan wins, too, edging out the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kauto Star when winning this for the first time in 2007, before defeating the likes of the 2010 Grand National winner Don't Push It, the Grade 1-winning chaser Tidal Bay and three-time Cheltenham Festival winner Albertas Run in his subsequent two successes.
Monet's Garden's third and final victory in the Old Roan Chase was arguably his most special, when returning as a 12-year-old and defeating a rival in Poqeulin who was five years his junior in a thrilling finish - in what would prove to be his swan song. Monet's Garden died aged 20 in 2018, after a long and productive retirement - being named the Retraining of Racehorses Horse of the Year in 2016.
He made the Old Roan Chase @AintreeRaces his own, with his third and final victory in the Grade 2 coming in 2010! 😍🎥 @DougieCostello @NGRichardsRace
RIP old chap #greatmemories https://t.co/sPyBJVA9A5
Are there any trials for the Old Roan Chase?
The Old Roan Chase is a traditional scene for a reappearance run, meaning that there are no trials as such for the race. It does however act as a platform to bigger and better things later in the season, and horses who take their chance in the Old Roan tend to target races such as the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, the King George VI Chase at Kempton, the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham and both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Who is the most successful jockey in the Old Roan Chase?
The winning most jockey in the history of the Old Roan Chase is the great A.P. McCoy, with two wins. McCoy's two wins in the Old Roan Chase came courtesy of Albertas Run in 2011 and Conquisto in 2013.
Who is the most successful trainer in the Old Roan Chase?
The joint-winning most trainers in the history of the Old Roan Chase are Paul Nicholls and Nicky Richards, with three wins each. Richards's three Old Roan wins all came courtesy of the three-time winner of the race Monet's Garden (2007, 2009 and 2010), while Nicholls' three Old Roan Chase wins came with Kauto Star (2006), Sound Investment (2015) and Frodon (2018).