Grey Dawning seals Betfair Chase victory at Haydock
Grey Dawning powers past Royale Pagaille to win Haydock Park's Betfair Chase as the season kicks off with a Grade One spectacle.
Grey Dawning, the odds-on favourite, surged to win the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park, beating two-time winner Royale Pagaille in a dramatic start to the domestic season.
Royale Pagaille, aged 11, had dominated this race for the last two years but started at 18-1 in a five-runner field this time.
The former champion led until the final fence, when Grey Dawning found his moment and earned victory, reversing last year’s outcome.
Winning jockey Harry Skelton said after the race that the horse had spent a year showing what he could do, and this was his day as he produced a brilliant late charge.
The Betfair Chase is typically seen as a pointer to Cheltenham Gold Cup campaigns, but Irish Grand National winner Haiti Couleurs struggled to jump and was pulled up from last.
Stellar Story finished third, with Handstands in fourth.
Earlier on the card, The Jukebox Man, owned by Harry Redknapp, won the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase. Redknapp described the moment as nerve-wracking, likening it to a late football decision and the pressure of holding a lead.
Key takeaway: Grey Dawning’s late surge at Haydock signals a rising challenge to the season’s Gold Cup contenders. Source: BBC Sport
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