The Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase takes place at Surrey’s Sandown Park and is open to horses aged five-years and up. (Photo credit: Sandown Park).
The Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase 2020 is just around the corner and the annual race taking place every late January or early February will see a number of top-class Grade One runners race for the cup. The Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase is not an easy race for punters to predict. Last year’s winner, Defi Du Seuil was 6/1 to win the race blowing past the other main contender Lost in translation on the day. Horse racing season is upon us and the biggest races in Britain are set to be run. Horse racing punters can visit Bet365 Royal Ascot for the latest bet bonuses and tips before wagering on the horses they believe will win the big festival events.
The Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase is a top-notch race that leads into the Cheltenham Festival in March. Several of the top performers that compete in the chase will also race at Cheltenham. The event will be a proving ground to Grade One horses as the festival season kicks into high gear.
What is the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase?
The Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase takes place at Surrey’s Sandown Park and is open to horses aged five-years and up. The race covers a distance of two miles and four furlongs and is part of the National Hunt Steeplechase series. Several of the horses that compete in the novices’ chase can be seen in bigger races and at festivals in the latter part of the year.
It is often considered the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase to be the lead-up race to the JLT Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. In 2019, Defi Du Seuil won at Sandown Park and went onto Cheltenham to win the JLT Novices’ Chase showing the direction connection the two races have with one another. It is possible that this year’s Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase winner will once again lift the cup at Cheltenham.
One of the aspects that is most intriguing about the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase is the collection of horses that run it. There is a combination of experienced horses along with some very raw racers. It is the inexperienced horses which often have difficulty leaping over Sandown Park’s fences.
The 2020 edition of the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase
Last year’s winner Defi Du Seuil along with fellow top contender Lostintranslation, competed in January’s Dipper Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham. It is highly likely the 2020 edition of the race at Sandown Park will once again see top performers from the Dipper join the field.
Defi Du Seuil won the Dipper in 2019 before finishing second at the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase. The horse took home a winner’s purse of £31,322.
Midnight Shadow has already won this year’s Dipper Novices’ Chase and will be considered one of the favourites to win at Sandown Park. Jockey Danny Cook will be atop Midnight Shadow if the horse does compete.
Cook rode Lostintranslation to the win at the Dipper Novices’ Chase last season before finishing second at the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase. He has experience at the racetrack and could ride to the win.
