Rehearsal Chase Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends

Uncover the secrets of the Rehearsal Chase! Explore winning trends, age patterns, and key insights for this thrilling National Hunt steeplechase at Newcastle, revealing what it takes to triumph in this prestigious handicap event.
Rehearsal Chase Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends
Andy Powell
Andy Powell Content Editor

Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.

2025 Rehearsal Chase Preview

Scheduled to take place in November of each year at the Newcastle racecourse is the Rehearsal Chase, this Premier Handicap is contested over a distance of two miles, seven and a half furlongs during which the runners will face a gruelling nineteen fences on what is usually testing ground at this time of the year.

Rehearsal Chase Information:

If you are interested in other predictions at Newcastle then head over to the Newcastle tips page to see which runners are being supported by the OLBG racing tipsters and also compare those predictions to the runners that make the trend shortlist when added below. You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information, head down to the Other Principal Races at Newcastle Racecourse section for links to these.

Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
ALSO READ

Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025

How competitive is the Rehearsal Chase market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2002 when the race had an over-round of 109%. The race in 2009 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 126%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Rehearsal Chase, the over-round has been 117%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £117 which is bet.

Below you will find the 2025 Rehearsal Chase Trends, see which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal, we also have a section that looks at the Rehearsal Chase Trend Analysis.

These are the top three quickest-run Rehearsal Chase over the last 20 renewals:

  1. Frero Banbou (5:50.37) in 2024
  2. Hey Big Spender (5:54.00) in 2013
  3. Aye Right (5:55.10) in 2021

Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Rehearsal Chase next time out then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of -0.25. Whilst we wait for the 2025 Rehearsal Chase remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.

Over the last 20 renewals, it was Frero Banbou, trained by Venetia Williams and ridden by Ned Fox who set the fastest winning time in the Rehearsal Chase, the runner won the race in a time of 5:50.37 when winning the race in 2024. At the other end of the scale, it was the combination of trainer Philip Hobbs and jockey Paul W Flynn with One Knight I who set the slowest winning time, the race-winning time was 7:13.20 in the 2004 renewal.

What the expert says...
The Rehearsal Chase has been a good race for the lady trainers, Sue Smith won it with Wakanda in 2015, a year later it was a success for Venetia Williams with Otago Trail, in 2021 Aye Right won the race for Harriet Graham and then it was more success for Venetia with L'Homme Presse winning in 2022 and Frero Banbou in 2024.

Andy Powell - Horse Racing Betting Expert - OLBG.com

Rehearsal Chase Past Winners

Here are the Rehearsal Chase past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the Rehearsal Chase are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.

Race Notes: The 2023 renewal was abandoned due to frozen ground.

YearHorseInfo
2024
5:50.37
Frero Banbou (FR)
9yo 10-4 17/2
Ned Fox (5lbs)
Venetia Williams (GB)
2022
6:00.24
LHomme Presse (FR)
7yo 12-0 6/4F
Charlie Deutsch
Venetia Williams (GB)
2021
5:55.10
Aye Right (IRE)
8yo 11-5 5/1
Callum Bewley
Harriet Graham (GB)
2020
5:56.30
Yorkhill (IRE)
10yo 10-10 66/1
Ryan Mania
Sandy Thomson (GB)
2019
6:20.20
Takingrisks (IRE)
10yo 10-13 20/1
Sean Quinlan
Nicky Richards (GB)
2018
6:06.40
Lake View Lad (IRE)
8yo 10-13 8/1
Henry Brooke
N W Alexander (GB)
2017
6:15.30
Beware The Bear (IRE)
7yo 11-7 11/4F
Sean Bowen
Nicky Henderson (GB)
2016
6:02.10
Otago Trail (IRE)
8yo 11-3 9/1
Liam Treadwell
Venetia Williams (GB)
2015
6:13.70
Wakanda (IRE)
6yo 11-4 6/1
Danny Cook
Sue Smith (GB)
2014
6:19.50
Hey Big Spender (IRE)
11yo 11-12 12/1
Brendan Powell
Colin Tizzard (GB)

Where have the winning runners come from?

Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Rehearsal Chase have been based:

  • GB: 20 winners with an additional 35 placings from 185 runners
  • FR: 0 winners with an additional 2 placings from 8 runners
  • IRE: 0 winners with an additional 0 placings from 5 runners

Rehearsal Chase Trainer Statistics

There are two leading trainers in the Rehearsal Chase over the last 20 renewals with both Nicky Richards and Venetia Williams who have both won the race three times. Nicky Richards's winners have been Direct Access (2005), Harmony Brig (2007) and Takingrisks (2019). Venetia Williams winners have been with Otago Trail (2016), LHomme Presse (2022) and Frero Banbou (2024). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Rehearsal Chase is Paul Nicholls (2 wins).

Here are some of the top Rehearsal Chase trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
Nicky Richards11-3-4+34.00+18.81
Venetia Williams10-3-5+12.00+7.44
Paul Nicholls8-2-4-0.67-0.16
Sue Smith14-1-5-7.00-4.33
Nigel Twiston-Davies10-1-5+5.00+4.54
Sandy Thomson5-1-2+62.00+37.04
David Pipe5-1-1-1.00-2.12
Nicky Henderson4-1-1-0.25-1.35
N W Alexander3-1-1+6.00+3.00
Harriet Graham1-1-1+5.00+3.13

Rehearsal Chase Jockey Statistics

The leading jockey in the Rehearsal Chase over the last 20 renewals is Brendan Powell who has won the race two times with those two winners coming from Hey Big Spender (2013 & 2014).

Here are some of the top Rehearsal Chase jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Brendan Powell4-2-3+15.00+8.98
Danny Cook6-1-1+1.00-1.25
Ryan Mania5-1-3+62.00+37.76
Sean Quinlan5-1-1+16.00+8.00
Conor O'Farrell5-1-2-1.00-0.92
Henry Brooke2-1-1+7.00+4.00
Callum Bewley2-1-1+4.00+2.13
Sean Bowen2-1-1+1.75+0.65
Charlie Deutsch2-1-2+0.50+1.78
Ned Fox1-1-1+8.50+5.31

Rehearsal Chase Trend Analysis

✅ The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +78.83 is when runners ran on Soft ground on debut.

❌ The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 3 career places in Jumps (Chase) races, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-26.

The course which has produced the most winners of the Rehearsal Chase is Aintree, there has been a total number of 6 winners of this race who ran at Aintree last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Ayr, there has been a total number of 4 winners of this race who ran at Ayr last time out.

The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 195 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 3 runners.

Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Rehearsal Chase:

  • Rudimentary (3 Wins)
  • Roselier (2 Wins)

These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Rehearsal Chase despite multiple attempts:

  • Beneficial (0 Wins from 5 runners)
  • Supreme Leader (0 Wins from 5 runners)

Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Yorkhill in 2020, winning for Sandy Thomson at odds of 66/1 under the guidance of Ryan Mania. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 5 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.

Article Contributor Information

We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Rehearsal Chase Preview are at hand, Andy and James. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.

James Banting

James Banting

Tipster Competition Assistant

James Banting, a passionate horse racing enthusiast and aficionado, brings a wealth of experience to OLBG, having attended numerous race meetings over the years. His background working with the Jockey Club provides him with a unique insider's perspective on the industry.
Andy Powell

Andy Powell

Content Editor

Andy, a seasoned horse racing expert with over 15 years of experience, possesses a comprehensive understanding of the sport, from delving into complex statistical data for jump racing in the UK and Ireland to crafting insightful national hunt racing blogs for OLBG.

No Comments

There are no comments here. Be the first to comment...

Please login or register to reply to this news article
KEEP READING
Dublin Chase Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Dublin Racing Festival)

Dublin Chase Preview, Tips, Runners & Trends (Dublin Racing Festival)

Explore the thrilling Dublin Chase at Leopardstown, a Grade 1 steeplechase over 2 miles. Delve into past winners, top trainers, and jockeys while uncovering key trends that shape this exciting event, showcasing elite two-mile chasers during the prestigious Dublin Racing Festival.
Continue Reading
Harry Derham - Horse Racing Trainer

Harry Derham - Horse Racing Trainer

Exclusive insights from Harry Derham's OLBG-sponsored Racing stable. Access regular updates directly from Harry and his team.
Continue Reading
Cheltenham Festival Trials: Expert Analysis and Insights

Cheltenham Festival Trials: Expert Analysis and Insights

Held annually at the end of January, the Cheltenham Trials is one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures in the National Hunt racing calendar. As a precursor to the Cheltenham Festival in March, this event draws racing enthusiasts eager to witness potential Festival contenders in action.
Continue Reading