25 Years Of The William Hill Denman Chase

The 2025 renewal of the William Hill Denman Chase marks the 25^th running of the Grade 2 contest run over 3 miles on William Hill Super Saturday. Open to horses aged five years and upwards, the race was inaugurated in 2000 and is now run for a total prize fund of £85,000. In the 25-year history of the race, only in 2006 was the race abandoned due to frost, in 2009 the race took place at Kempton Park Racecourse and in 2019 the race was run at Ascot Racecourse. The race, first run in 2000 as a Class 2 contest, was upgraded to a Listed race in 2002 before becoming a Grade Two contest in 2003. The Denman Chase is often seen as the last chance for trainers to get a prep run into their Cheltenham Gold Cup contenders and as such is regarded as one of the leading trials.

Originally known as the AON Chase, the race was renamed in 2012 in honour of the Paul Nicholls trained Denman, affectionately known as ‘The Tank.’ Owned by the late Paul Barber, Denman retired in December 2011 with an outstanding record of 14 wins and 6 places from 24 starts, earning £1,141,347 in prize money. His illustrious career includes the 2007 and 2009 Hennessy Gold Cup, 2008 AON Chase and the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Along with Kauto Star, Coneygree and Native River, Denman remains as one of just four horses who have won the Denman Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same year. 

Denman’s trainer, Paul Nicholls, is the most successful trainer in the Denman Chase to date having trained ten winners including: See More Business (2000), Shotgun Willy (2001), Valley Henry (2003), Kauto Star (2007), Denman (2008), Tricky Trickster (2010), Noland (2011), Silvianaco Conti (2013), Clan Des Obeaux (2019) and Secret Investor (2021). 

Native River, trained by Colin Tizzard for Brocade Racing, won the race on three separate occasions making him the most successful horse in the race to date. His first victory came in 2017 when ridden by Aidan Coleman, a matter of months after winning the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury. He recorded back-to-back victories in the Denman Chase before landing the Cheltenham Gold Cup the following month. Having not run in the race in 2019, he returned in 2020 to record a third victory, on this occasion ridden to victory by Jonjo O’Neill Jr. Native River’s regular rider, Richard Johnson, remains the most successful jockey in the race having steered four horses to victory, Shooting Light (2004), Farmer Jack (2005), Coneygree (2015) and Native River (2018). 

The race has an illustrious roll of honour featuring multiple Grade 1 winning chasers. See More Business, trained by Paul Nicholls, won the inaugural race in 2000 having already won the 1997 and 1999 King George VI Chase as well as the 1999 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Sent off 1/3 favourite at Newbury, he was ridden to victory by Mick Fitzgerald for owner Sir Robert Ogden. 

The greatest steeplechaser of the modern era, Kauto Star, won the 2007 renewal of the race. Trained by Paul Nicholls for owner Clive Smith, in that season alone he won the Old Roan Chase, Betfair Chase, Tingle Creek, King George VI, AON Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup. He was sent off 2/9 favourite under jockey Ruby Walsh at Newbury to win by just a neck from the French trained L’Ami. 

Long Run, trained by Nicky Henderson, provided amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen with a Cheltenham Gold Cup victory in 2011 before winning the first running of the newly named Betfair Denman Chase in 2012 when sent off a 4/7 chance. Long Run, owned by the jockey’s father Robert Waley-Cohen, went on to record further success at the highest level when winning the Grade 1 King George VI Chase. 

A seven-length winner of the Denman Chase in 2013 under Ruby Walsh at odds of 8/11, Silviniaco Conti, trained by Paul Nicholls, went on to record multiple Grade 1 successes. The winner of £1,151,609 in prize money, Silviniaco Conti landed back-to-back victories in the King George VI Chase in 2013/14 under jockey Noel Fehily and  was also a dual winner of the Grade 1 Betfair Chase in 2012 and 2014. 

Bred by Lord Oaksey and trained by his son-in-law Mark Bradstock, Coneygree beat Houblon des Obeaux (who went on to win the Denman Chase the following year) by seven lengths when sent off 15/8 favourite in the 2015 renewal of the Denman Chase. With regular rider Nico de Boinville banned on the day, Richard Johnson took the ride at Newbury. However, de Boinville, still a conditional at the time, was back on board the following month when Coneygree became the first novice in 41 years to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup. 

Last year’s winner, Shishkin, ridden by Nico de Boinville, provided trainer Nicky Henderson with his first winner in the race since Long Run in 2012. It was to be the ten-year-old‘s last win of his career which included multiple Grade 1 victories in the Aintree Bowl, Ascot Chase, Clarence House, Maghull Novices’ Chase, the Arkle and Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. 

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