THE Classic Handicap Chase (3.00) at Warwick is the big betting race of the weekend, but with the rescheduled Welsh National run so close to this staying event the entry isn’t as strong as usual with only a maximum of 13 set to got to post.

The market is headed by the Alan King-trained NOTACHANCE (nap) and with the stable in such sparkling form it is hard to see beyond the seven-year-old. This lightly raced sort dotted up at Bangor in November and has been kept fresh since then for this stamina sapping affair and off a 7lbs higher mark he has solid claims with more improvement to come.

Of his rivals I suspect Le Breuil, due to run at the abandoned Catterick Bridge on Thursday, will be rerouted here and on his Cheltenham Festival success he looked potentially the best handicapped horse in the race of the more exposed performers, but 6/1 is hardly giving anything away especially after a rather ordinary comeback at Aintree over the big fences. Still, a mark of 140 means he has to be respected along with last year’s second Captain Chaos and relative outsider Achille.