The Becher Chase is a handicap over three and a quarter miles over the Grand National fences at Aintree.

The Becher Chase takes place on Saturday 9th December 2025.

It takes place in late November or early December and is a recognised trial for the big race itself.

Find out more about the Becher Chase:

Becher Chase

Race Overview – The Becher Chase

Horses six years old or older may compete in the Grade Three National Hunt steeplechase known as the Becher Chase.

There are twenty-one fences to leap throughout the race, which is raced at Aintree over a distance of around three miles and two furlongs (three miles, one furlong, and 188 yards, or 5,201 metres).

It will take place every year in November or December and is a handicap race.

Becher Chase Previous Winners

Here is a table of all the previous winners from the Becher Chase.

YearWinnerAgeWeightJockeyTrainer
2013Chance du Roy910-06Tom O’BrienPhilip Hobbs
2014Oscar Time1310–12Sam Waley-Cohen[a]Robert Waley-Cohen
2015Highland Lodge910-00Henry BrookeJames Moffatt
2016Vieux Lion Rouge710-09Tom ScudamoreDavid Pipe
2017Blaklion811-06Gavin SheehanNigel Twiston-Davies
2018Walk In The Mill810-03James BestRobert Walford
2019Walk In The Mill910-8James BestRobert Walford
2020Vieux Lion Rouge1110-07Conor O’FarrellDavid Pipe
2021Snow Leopardess910-04Aidan ColemanCharlie Longsdon
2022Ashtown Lad811-05Harry SkeltonDan Skelton

Key Becher Chase Trials

Previous Aintree form is a useful guide for your Becher Chase tips.

Eleven of the last twelve winners had at least one previous run at Aintree and three of those had recorded a victory.

Stamina is also an important factor with winning form over three miles or further.

The Grand National Trial at Haydock Park in February is a possible target for Becher Chase winners. Vieux Lion Rouge won both races in 2016-2017 with Blaklion finishing second in the Haydock race after winning here in 2017-2018.

The Grand National is the main objective for Becher Chase winners but it has proved to be difficult to win both races in the same season. Ten of the last twelve winners ran in the big race but none of them were successful.

One of the features of the Becher Chase is the good record of older horses.

Hello Bud was the third twelve-year-old to win the race in 2010 and still holds the winning age record of fourteen for his second victory in 2012.

Oscar Time was another veteran to win here at the age of thirteen in 2014 and Vieux Lion Rouge was eleven when recording his second victory in 2020.

Favourites have a mixed record in the Becher Chase with four victories in the past twelve seasons. Hello Bud was 15-2 favourite in 2010 and Vieux Lion Rouge was market leader at 8-1 in 2016.

Blaklion was a heavily-backed 7-4 favourite in 2017 and Snow Leopardess won as the 4-1 favourite in 2021.

There have also been plenty of shock results. Garvivonnian was a 33-1 outsider in 2005, Eurotrek (2006) and Oscar Time (2014) both returned at 25-1 and Highland Lodge (2015) was a 20-1 shot.

The going is often on the soft side and this can favour the more lightly weighted runners.

Blaklion was the only winner to carry more than 11 stone in the last twelve years.

Blaklion was also the highest officially rated winner on 153.

The other eleven winners were rated between 130 and 142.

Becher Chase Trainer Statistics

The most successful trainer in the Becher Chase is Paul Nicholls with three wins.

Here are the most winning trainers of the Becher Chase.

TrainerR-W-PWinEW
Paul Nicholls24-3-8+15.50+12.02
Nigel Twiston-Davies21-3-5+5.25+0.53
David Pipe21-2-5+1.00+0.01
Robert Walford3-2-2+17.00+10.25
Jonjo O’Neill9-1-1-2.50-4.56
James Moffatt6-1-3+15.00+12.50
Alan King5-1-1+6.00+2.25
Philip Hobbs4-1-1+11.00+5.75
Charlie Longsdon4-1-1+1.00-0.50
Edward P Mitchell2-1-1+32.00+19.63

Becher Chase Jockey Statistics

The most successful jockey in the Becher Chase is Sam Twiston-Davies with two wins.

Here are the most winning jockeys of the Becher Chase.

JockeyR-W-PWinEW
Sam Twiston-Davies7-2-3+16.50+10.44
James Best3-2-2+17.00+10.25
Henry Brooke7-1-5+14.00+14.00
Conor O’Farrell7-1-2+6.00+4.50
Aidan Coleman6-1-1-1.00-2.50
Denis O’Regan5-1-4+3.50+4.98
Gavin Sheehan4-1-3-1.25+1.59
Liam Heard3-1-1+23.00+13.63
Harry Skelton3-1-2+3.00+2.76
Paddy Brennan10-0-2-10.00-6.37

Becher Chase Facts

  • The Becher Chase is a National Hunt chase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged 6 years or older.
  • The race is run over a distance of 3 miles and 6 furlongs (5,906 metres) at Aintree Racecourse, and during its running there are sixteen fences to be jumped.
  • The race was first run in 1839, and it was named in honour of Captain Martin Becher who fell from his horse, Conrad, at the first Becher’s Brook fence during the first running of the Grand National in 1839.

Popular Questions

What are important facts about Becher Chase?

Here are some important facts about Becher Chase:

  • The Becher Chase is run at Aintree Racecourse, Great Britain
  • The Becher Chase is for horses aged 6 and older
  • The Becher Chase is a National Hunt Steeplechase in Great Britain
  • The Becher Chase distance is 3 miles and 2 furlongs

Summary of the Becher Chase

Thank you for reading our Becher Chase guide.

The Becher is a great race, run over the famous Grand national fences, it often is a springboard for horses who go on to run well in the big one, later in the season!

You can check out the Aintree horse racing tips page for our tips on this race or take a look at more horse racing in December.