Seven For Betfair Chase

The £200,000 Grade One Betfair Chase (2.05pm), the highlight at Haydock Park on Saturday, November 24, day one of the Northwest Racing Masters, promises to be the highest-class jump race ever run at the course with seven superb contenders going forward at today's 48-hour declaration stage.

The seven starters for the three-mile event have won a total of 20 Grade One events between them and over £3.25 million in prize money.

Timeform spokesman Kieran Packman commented: 'The Betfair Chase is a fantastic race to look forward to, with Timeform's two top-rated staying chasers in Kauto Star and Exotic Dancer and a most exciting prospect in My Way de Solzen.

'There may be less runners than have taken part in recent Gold Cups, but the quality on show in the race at Haydock on Saturday is on a par with recent Blue Ribands.'

Heading the seven declarations is Kauto Star, successful in the 2006 Betfair Chase before going on to collect the King George VI Chase at Kempton and the totesport Gold Cup at Cheltenham, landing the Betfair Million in the process. He made a return to action at Aintree on October 28 when going down by a length and a half to Monet's Garden, who was receiving 14lb, in the bonunsprint.com Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase. Sam Thomas takes the ride on Kauto Star, with regular partner Ruby Walsh currently sidelined with injury.

Exotic Dancer was one of the most improved chasers of last season and filled the runner-up spot behind Kauto Star twice in the King George and the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup. He finished third in the bonusprint.com Old Roan Chase at Aintree on his seasonal debut and will be ridden by Barry Geraghty for the first time on Saturday.

Geraghty, who partnered totesport Gold Cup hero Kicking King to finish third behind Kingscliff in the inaugural running of the Betfair Chase in 2005, is looking forward to acquainting himself with the Jonjo O'Neill-trained Exotic Dancer.

The Irish rider revealed today: 'For sure, I'm looking forward to riding Exotic Dancer. He's a class horse and naturally I'm hoping for a big run on Saturday.

'Everything was organised through my agent, so I haven't spoken to Jonjo or anybody yet. I haven't sat on Exotic Dancer and I wouldn't think that I will before Saturday.

'Haydock is a track that I like to ride. I won the Tommy Whittle Chase on Jonjo's big horse Keen Leader four years ago, and a novice chase for Nicky Henderson on Caracciola, so it has been a lucky enough place for me.'

Geraghty is also booked to ride Burntoakboy, successful in the Coral Cup at Cheltenham last season, in the £100,000 Betfair 'Fixed Brush' Handicap Hurdle (1.35pm) over an extended two miles and seven furlongs at Haydock on Saturday.

Irish raider Beef Or Salmon has won a total of 10 Grade One chases during his glittering career, including the prestigious Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown four times, and finished second in the first two runnings of the Betfair Chase, finding Kingscliff a length and a quarter too strong in 2005 and going down by 17 lengths to Kauto Star last year.

Jockey Denis O'Regan is honoured to have been given the leg up for the first time on Beef Or Salmon.

The rider said: 'I haven't sat on the horse before but it's an honour to be riding him.

'He's been second in the Betfair Chase the past two years, he's a class act and I'm delighted to be riding him. Hopefully, all goes well with a bit of luck in running.'

O'Regan moved to England six weeks ago as stable jockey to County Durham handler Howard Johnson, basing himself in Ingleby Barwick, North Yorkshire.

The rider has partnered nine winners from 80 starts for Beef Or Salmon's trainer Michael Hourigan in the past five years, including a high-profile success at Cheltenham in November, 2005.

O'Regan continued: 'I've ridden a bit for Michael Hourigan over the last few years and two years ago I rode Church Island to win at the Paddy Power meeting for him and the owner.

'I moved over to England about six weeks ago and it's good to be getting nice horses to ride, but they still have to be ridden.'

My Way de Solzen is a very exciting young chaser, having taken the Grade One Irish Independent Arkle Trophy over two miles at The Festival last season while he was a high-class stayer over hurdles with a victory in the 2006 Ladbrokes World Hurdle, also at Cheltenham. The Betfair Chase will see My Way de Solzen take on seasoned opposition for the first time over fences.

Another novice from last season is Offshore Account, trained in Ireland by Charlie Swan. The seven-year-old has won on his last four starts, including a Grade One event at Punchestown in April on his latest outing.

Turpin Green belied his 40/1 starting price to finish third in the 2007 totesport Gold Cup Cheltenham, when only beaten five lengths. Owned by one of Haydock Park's biggest supporters, Trevor Hemmings, and trained by Nicky Richards, Turpin Green ran a good race under top weight in last season's Peter Marsh Chase over the course and distance when going down by 12 lengths to The Outlier (in receipt of 21lb).

Ollie Magern, winner of the Grade One Feltham Novices' Chase at Kempton as a novice, finished fourth behind Kauto Star in the 2006 Betfair Chase and looked right back to his best when taking the Grade Two Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby on his seasonal reappearance earlier this month.

Betfair spokesman Tony Calvin said: 'To say that we are delighted with the class of the seven-runner field is an understatement - mainly because the highly competitive nature of the race makes it a touch less likely that Kauto Star will win the race, and again go on to take a million pounds off us!

'On a more serious note, the fact that the first three home in last year's Gold Cup and the three of the first four in our Cheltenham betting are running is superb news. Not just for the stature of the race, and the Haydock executive, but for National Hunt fans at the track on Saturday and those watching on BBC and RUK.

'It is refreshing to see the big guns willing to clash so early in the campaign. How many other races in the calendar would see a horse with the class and potential of Offshore Account, an 11-length winner of a Grade One race at Punchestown last time out, be the likely outsider of a seven-runner field? My guess is none.'

Ground

The ground at Haydock is currently GOOD TO SOFT, and Clerk of the Course Kirkland Tellwright is anticipating little change before Saturday's meeting.

He said: 'We had three millimetres of rain overnight, with the possibility of some further showers throughout the week, so we might have good to soft ground, soft in places on Saturday.

'It doesn't look like we will have any problems with the cold weather forecast.'