Silviniaco Conti Chase: guide to all the runners and big-race tip

has scooped three of the four runnings of the Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase since the £80,000 race was renamed after the horse who won the multiple champion trainer two editions of the King George VI Chase. 

The one renewal to escape him was in 2022 when his Rouge Vif could finish only third. Nicholls is set to rely on Pic D’Orhy, the ante-post favourite, in Saturday’s latest running and if the defending champ is in the same form as 12 months ago, when romping home by 16 lengths, he will take some catching. 

This promises to be a deep edition, though, with crack two-miler Edwardstone primed to move up in trip, plus Grade One winners Banbridge and Janidil challenging from Ireland. 

Here’s a guide to the five runners. 

Trainer: Joseph O’Brien. Official Rating: 155. Best odds: 9/4. 

He’s on course , having missed a couple of possible engagements this term because of soft ground. He’s got a good wins-to-run ratio - eight from 14 – with this victories including the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle, off a mark of 137, at the Cheltenham Festival in 2022. The eight-year-old took well to fences last season and signed off with a Grade One success over 2m 4f at Aintree, albeit his task was made easier by Stage Star’s tame display. He’d previously been no match for El Fabiolo in the Irish Arkle before missing the Turners at Cheltenham because conditions were deemed unsuitable. He should get his favoured going and is unlikely to lack for fitness. 

Trainer: Alan King. Official Rating: 164. Best odds: 11/4. 

Still doesn’t have many peers over two miles – perhaps only El Fabiolo and Jonbon – but he’s bred for further and this belated return to two-and-a-half miles promises to suit now that, at ten, he’s probably lost a little bit of his zip. Probably ran right up to his best when chasing home Jonbon in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown last time and he's the best of this bunch on official ratings. Unseated his rider when last in action at Kempton (when odds-on to land the Desert Orchid Orchid Chase) but impressively won a Grade Two prize here on his only other visit. He’s versatile regards the ground and Alan King’s relatively lean patch (11 winners from 116 runners since the start of November) is a little misleading as he’s had another 40 runners finish either second or third. 

Trainer: Willie Mullins. Official Rating: 163. Best odds: 14/1. 

He’s a classy customer, for all that he’s managed only one win from ten starts in the past couple of years. The 10-year-old has had the misfortune to bump into Allaho on four occasions during that time, including on his return/latest start when chasing him home in the Clonmel Oil Chase. He was trying to concede 5lb that day, so it was something of a thankless task. He’s missed two engagements since then because of coughing/having a temperature. Janidil has twice been let down by jumping lapses in Grade Two contests (he mostly runs at the highest level) but is a sound jumper and this is his optimum trip. He was runner-up in the 2022 Ryanair Chase when last seen on British shores and is bang in the mix on official ratings. The bookies are dangling a carrot by quoting him at 14/1. 

Trainer: Laura Morgan. Official Rating: 156. Best odds: 13/2. 

He won a Musselburgh handicap off a mark of 124 about this time last year but has made great strides in the past year. Chased home Stage Star in the Turners at Cheltenham in March, when 40/1, and proved that was no fluke when beating all bar the same rival in the Paddy Power Gold Cup on his latest start off a rating of 152. There’s no reason why Kempton will not suit him just as well as Cheltenham and, unlike his principal rivals, he is unpenalised. This trip suits him well and, having had only ten starts, there may still be more improvement in him. Better ground will also help him and his rivals have to concede between 3lb and 6lb.

Trainer: Paul Nicholls. Official Rating: 162. Best odds: 9/4 fav. 

It’s easy to forget that connections briefly abandoned chasing with him about this time three years ago after three successive defeats (including a fall) as he looked anything but a natural. However, bar the old blip, his second spell over the larger obstacles has been most lucrative with this trip, decent ground and right-handed tracks being a recipe for success. He’s 2/2 here, running his rivals ragged in this race last year despite fears the heavy going might find him out. He wasn’t at his best when winning on his return at Ascot but didn’t need to be, with Shishkin refusing to race. He’s got more on his plate than 12 months ago but it would be folly to underestimate him. He’s gone off favourite for only three of his nine wins in Britain but heads the ante-post market. 

last week at 14/1 and he can enhance his claims by mastering several high-class rivals. He's still available at 12/1 for the Cheltenham race and is 10/1 non-runner-no-bet with William Hill.