William Hill Denman Chase
Grade 2 Handicap, Newbury 14:10
£90,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus,
2m7½f, Class 1   
Saturday 7th February 2026

Haiti Couleurs is set to test the depth of his Gold Cup credentials when he lines up here.

The plan had originally been to head across the Irish Sea for the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival, but underfoot conditions and the practicalities of travel persuaded trainer Rebecca Curtis to look closer to home.

“He keeps winning handicaps, his mark keeps going up and up and we don’t know where it will end, so hence we’re willing to try him in a graded company,” Curtis told Sky Sports Racing.

“It will be very interesting on Saturday and going forward to the Gold Cup.”

This has emerged as the chosen waypoint on the road to the Cheltenham Gold Cup for L’Homme Presse, following a valiant defence of his Cotswold Chase crown on January 24.

Venetia Williams’ 11-year-old carried the weight of expectation as well as a 6lb penalty at Prestbury Park, conceding to eventual winner Spillane’s Tower. In the end the Irish challenger edged home by three-quarters of a length, but the performance of the old warrior left his connections uplifted, cherishing a horse they describe as a once-in-a-lifetime companion.

Andy Edwards, who owns L’Homme Presse under the DFA Racing banner alongside Pam Sharman, Ray Sharman and Peter and Patricia Pink, reflected afterwards: “At 11 to turn up and do something like that, you are full of so much pride and emotion.

“We were stood there at the second pole after the race and I mentioned to the groom there were still loads of people cheering us even though the winner was there, he’s a really popular lad isn’t he?

“He is a special horse and special horses do special things to people, which is the most wonderful thing about a life with horses.

“He’s absolutely fine after the race and I was in the field with him the other day and he was rolling around in the mud having fun. It will just be an easy week this week after such a magnificent race and he wasn’t blowing overly hard afterwards.”

L’Homme Presse also holds an entry in Haydock’s William Hill Half A Mill Grand National Trial Handicap Chase on February 14, but provided the veteran continues to flourish after his Trials Day exertions, Newbury is expected to come first, a week earlier, in a race Venetia Williams captured 12 months ago with Djelo.

It marks a change from the Ascot Chase route taken in each of the past two seasons, but Edwards and his fellow owners are eager for another tilt at the blue riband in March with their Cheltenham specialist. Festival glory arrived in 2022 and a fourth-place Gold Cup finish followed two years later, form that fuels quiet optimism.

“Haydock will be plan B, but ideally we will go to the Denman Chase then the Gold Cup as long as he is all right,” continued Edwards. “Obviously we’re not going to know that fully until the weekend when he does a bit more work.

“We’re not expecting to win the Gold Cup and it will be more hoping – you have to be realistic. But if he could get into the first five in the Gold Cup, that would be fantastic and we still don’t know what will even get there. Cheltenham is still a fair way away in a horse’s life.”

Leave Of Absence and Riskintheground complete the field after Jango Baie was a notable absentee at the declaration stage, with Nicky Henderson having already signalled his intention to keep that particular powder dry for the Cheltenham Festival.

William Hill Denman Chase
£90,000 guaranteed, 5yo plus, 2m 7f 86y, Class 1
4 runners
Going: Heavy, Soft in places

NO. FORM HORSE AGE WGT TRAINER JOCKEY
1 31P-22 L'Homme Presse 11 11-8 Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch
2 -41960 Riskintheground 9 11-8 Dan Skelton Harry Skelton
3 11-1P1 Haiti Couleurs 9 11-6 Rebecca Curtis Sean Bowen
4 21-1P2 Leave Of Absence 9 11-2 Anthony Honeyball Rex Dingle

William Hill Denman Chase – Roll of Honour

YEAR WINNER TRAINER JOCKEY AGE/WEIGHT SP RAN

2025 DJELO Venetia Williams Charlie Deutsch 7 11-8 6/4F 7
2024 SHISHKIN Nicky Henderson Nico de Boinville 10 11-8 8/11F 5
2023 ZANZA Philip Hobbs Tom O'Brien 9 11-2 16/1 7
2022 ELDORADO ALLEN Colin Tizzard Brendan Powell 8 11-06 6/1 5
2021 SECRET INVESTOR Paul Nicholls Bryony Frost 9 11-00 14/1 7
2020 NATIVE RIVER Colin Tizzard Jonjo O'Neill Jr 10-11-06 2/5F 6
2019 CLAN DES OBEAUX Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden 07-11-06 2/5F 4
2018 NATIVE RIVER Colin Tizzard Richard Johnson 08-11-06 8/11F 3
2017 NATIVE RIVER Colin Tizzard Aidan Coleman 07-11-06 11/10 3
2016 HOUBLON DES OBEAUX Venetia Williams Aidan Coleman 09-11-00 3/1 7
2015 CONEYGREE Mark Bradstock Richard Johnson 08-11-05 15/8F 6
2014 HARRY TOPPER Kim Bailey Jason Maguire 07-11-10 7/2 5
2013 SILVINIACO CONTI Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 07-11-10 8/11F 8
2012 LONG RUN Nicky Henderson Mr Sam Waley-Cohen 07-11-10 4/7F 5
2011 NOLAND Paul Nicholls A P McCoy 10-11-00 13/2 5
2010 TRICKY TRICKSTER Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 07-11-03 8/1 6
*2009 MADISON DU BERLAIS David Pipe Tom Scudamore 08-11-06 12/1 7
2008 DENMAN Paul Nicholls Sam Thomas 08-11-10 1/4F 4
2007 KAUTO STAR Paul Nicholls Ruby Walsh 07-11-00 2/9F 6
2006 Abandoned – Frost
2005 FARMER JACK Philip Hobbs Richard Johnson 09-11-06 12/1 8
2004 SHOOTING LIGHT Martin Pipe Richard Johnson 11-11-00 33/1 8
2003 VALLEY HENRY Paul Nicholls Barry Geraghty 08-11-06 4/1 6
2002 BACCHANAL Nicky Henderson Mick Fitzgerald 08-11-10 5/4F 7
2001 SHOTGUN WILLY Paul Nicholls Joe Tizzard 07-11-10 4/1 5
2000 SEE MORE BUSINESS Paul Nicholls Mick Fitzgerald 10-11-10 1/3F 6

*Run at Kempton Park when Newbury’s card was abandoned because of snow

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