The 1965 Chase is a Grade 2 steeplechase run over 2 miles, 5 furlongs and 8 yards at Ascot in November. The race was inaugurated, as the H & T Walker Goddess Limited Handicap Chase, in 1981, but has been run in various guises down the years.
Initially contested over 2 miles and 4 furlongs, its distance was shortened to 2 miles, 3 furlongs and 110 yards in 1992 and again, to 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 175 yards in 2006, following the partial reconstruction of the National Hunt course at Ascot, before being lengthened to its current yardage in 2015. In 2006, the race was also renamed, to commemorate the year in which National Hunt was first staged at Ascot and, three years later, became a weight-for-age, conditions race, rather than a limited handicap. Nowadays, the 1965 Chase is open to horses aged four years and upwards with an official handicap rating of 120 or more.
Reigning champion trainer Paul Nicholls has saddled seven winners of the 1965 Chase – namely Cerium (2006), Master Minded (2010, 2011), Al Ferof (2013, 2014), Politologue (2018), Cyrname (2019) – and is the most successful handler in the history of the race. Other notable winners during the last five decades include three-time King George VI Chase winner Wayward Lad (1981), Grand National winner Red Marauder (1998) and dual Ryanair Chase winner Albertas Run (2008).
At the time of writing, the 2022 renewal of the 1965 Chase – due off at 2:05pm on Saturday, November 19 – is less than three weeks away. The ante-post market is yet to take shape, but recent trends suggest that punters would do well to concentrate on the first three in the betting, which have produced the winner in all bar one of the last ten renewals; including joint favourites, six starting price favourites have win the 1965 Chase since 2012.
Introduction
While nothing like the connection exists between Wales and America as it does with, say, England or Scotland, there is a clear sporting interest in this one. Both teams will open their tournament against one another, knowing they probably need something from this game. Failure to win on game one leaves a match against a likely-desperate Iran and England to come for Wales. America, meanwhile, might already have lost to England and thus will need to pick up something ahead of matchday three.
Owned by Godolphin and trained by Charlie Appleby, Adayar is already a racehorse of not inconsiderable claims to fame. The son of Frankel first attracted attention when comfortably winning his maiden at Nottingham by 9 lengths on his second start as a juvenile in October, 2020. However, following defeat in the Classic Trial at Sandown and the Derby Trial at Lingfield, Adayar was the least fancied of three Appleby-trained runners in the Derby, behind Hurricane Lane and One Ruler.