Grand Sefton Chase 2025 – Expert Betting Guide from 1xBet Ireland: Can Riaan Conquer Aintree?

Gordon Elliott’s improving chaser fits the key trends and looks well-handicapped to strike Aintree. In this 1xBet review, we will talk about the main favourites and potential surprises of the upcoming race.

Grand Sefton Chase Preview: Riaan Looks Poised to Pounce at Aintree

The Grand Sefton has a long and storied history in National Hunt racing. First run in 1865 over three miles, it was dropped from the programme in 1965 as Aintree’s popularity declined. When the race was revived in 2003, it returned over a shorter distance of two miles and five furlongs.

In the 21 renewals since then there have been no repeat winners, which is bad news for last year’s hero and current favourite King Turgeon. He returns to the scene of his greatest triumph carrying 12lb more than last year. Even so, many horses have gone close here after previously contesting the race.

Benny’s Mist turned a 2014 third into a 2015 victory for Venetia Williams, who this year runs Frero Banbou, third in 2023 and now 3lb lower than when last contesting this race. He would, however, want plenty of rain to be at his best.

Another who improved on a placed effort was Gesskille, the 2023 winner, who went one better than his 2022 second for local trainers Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero. They are doubly represented again this year, including with Gaboriot, who was third last season. He stayed on well to finish four and a quarter lengths behind King Turgeon and is now 3lb lower, effectively 15lb better off, although being 4lb out of the weights reduces that advantage.

The most successful trainer in the modern Grand Sefton is Paul Nicholls, with three wins. Although unrepresented this year, his 2018 winner Warrior’s Tale remains the only top weight to have won the race. The task of changing that statistic falls to Johnnywho, who would not only be the second top weight to land the prize but would also carry the highest winning weight in the race’s history, at 12st.

He was labelled an unlucky second in the Kim Muir at Cheltenham, yet his jumping often left him with too much to do during his novice season. He is now 6lb higher than at the Festival and will need to find further improvement.

Since 2003, two-thirds of Grand Sefton winners have been eight- or nine-year-olds, which suggests experience is an asset, but only up to a point.

The one who fits that profile and looks most interesting is Riaan, an eight-year-old trained by Gordon Elliott. He has long hinted at serious ability and first caught the eye when splitting Heartwood and James Du Berlais in a Grade 3 handicap chase at the 2024 Dublin Racing Festival. Those horses are now rated 24lb and 10lb higher in the handicap.

Riaan’s tendency to get a little low at his fences has limited his progress, whether through a series of small mistakes or one major blunder, but he has started to come good again. Last month he produced a career-best when beating Jessie Evans, a horse rated 19lb his superior, off level weights at Sligo. He has gone up 5lb for that win, returning him to the same mark of 137 that he carried when running so well at the Dublin Racing Festival.

If he does get low at his fences, that may actually help him here. The Grand National fences often reward horses that are neat and efficient in the air. Many experts and 1xBet analysts made a similar point about Tiger Roll, whose low, economical style proved key to his back-to-back Grand National victories.

The analytical piece was prepared by Emmet Kennedy— Presenter, Producer, and Owner of The Final Furlong Podcast, Broadcaster with TalkSPORT, and Broadcast Consultant — with the support of 1xBet Ireland.

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