2023 John Francome Novices Chase Betting Odds at Newbury racecourse

Friday, 01 December 2023

There are eight runners who are set to go to post for the 2023 John Francome Novices' Chase, with Hermes Allen the warm favourite to claim a victory over two miles and four furlongs this Friday. It will be interesting to see how the six-year-old performs, with Nickle Back and No Ordinary Joe among the shorter-priced runners.

Colonel Mustard and Marble Sands could also be interesting from an each-way point-of-view, with the latter obliging with a victory last time out. Tightenourbelts and The King Of Ryhope are other competitors worthy of consideration, with Golden Son not there to make up the numbers and that means the whole field should be considered.

2023 John Francome Novices' Chase Tips

We’ve got several lively contenders when it comes to the 2023 John Francome Novices' Chase, with Hermes Allen regarded as the one to beat. The six-year-old enjoyed some strong form last season when putting up decent performances at Aintree and Cheltenham, with the Paul Nicholls-trained charge finishing third in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle when it came to the former.

At the Festival, Hermes Allen was sent off as the 9/4 favourite in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle before finishing a slightly disappointing sixth, with Nickle Back potentially better value at roughly twice the price. The seven-year-old is bidding for a consecutive hat-trick of wins after landing the spoils in two outings this season.

A massive twenty-four length win at Warwick was followed by another huge victory at Stratford, with the horse looking like an attractive each-way option. However, there could be another big danger in the form of No Ordinary Joe and the Nicky Henderson-trained runner was last seen finishing seventh in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Aintree.

The same horse was second in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, with Colonel Mustard also worthy of consideration. There was a second-placed finish last time out at Down Royal in a field of nine runners, with the horse finding odds-on favourite Found A Fifty too strong in a Beginners Chase encounter.