Topham Chase 2027: Odds, Runners & Tips

Our 2026 Preview

Written before the 2026 race. Our 2027 preview will replace it closer to the festival.

  Who Are the Leading Contenders to Win the Topham Chase?

We have to start with Madara. Win backers of this Dan Skelton-trained horse were able to profit from the runner's performance at the Cheltenham Festival. In the Plate Handicap Chase, the charge was able to oblige as the 3/1 favourite. The victory was achieved by seven and a half lengths, making him one of the more impressive winners at the meeting.

Madara's success in this race was over two miles and four furlongs, with the horse likely to find the slightly further distance no problem. The charge had previously done well at Kempton Park when following home Issam, with the runner having also been runner up in the December Gold Cup Handicap Chase.

  Topham Handicap Chase a Popular Each-Way Betting Race

We always expect to see owner JP McManus represented in the Topham, with the Irishman having enjoyed plenty of success at Aintree in the past. Gentleman De Mee was the winner of the race twelve months ago and the Willie Mullins-trained charge is likely to line up again.

The ten-year-old will be primed for this encounter and bettors should look out for extra places when it comes to each-way betting. The horse has not shown particularly strong form this season, although the runner came into some form when finishing third in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase at Thurles.

You might find bet365's Position Payout market beneficial when it comes to backing Will The Wise. Gavin Cromwell's seven-year-old has recorded three runner-up spots and a victory in the previous six outings. The horse has seven and a half lengths to find on Madara, although he was better than anything else out of the field when it came to the Plate.

The horse struggled to stay the course in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown, with the runner managing tenth spot in a field of twenty-eight, with Will The Wise also running into a place when scoring fourth place at Navan in mid-November. There was a victory at Galway at the end of October when obliging as the even money favourite.

  Bet on the Topham Chase Place Market or Top Six Finish

There's a way of profiting from the Topham Handicap Chase simply by betting on a horse to either place or achieve a top two, three, four, five or even six finish. You can choose the odds according to how high up the standings the horse will appear.

Waterford Whispers ran at the Cheltenham Festival and finished eighth in a field of twenty-three horses. That effort came in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup where the runner struggled to keep pace with the leaders over three miles, two and a half furlongs. There was previously a good effort at the Dublin Racing Festival.

On that occasion, there was a third-placed effort in a field of twenty-three runners at Leopardstown, with that coming in a handicap chase over two miles, five and a half furlongs. The horse might perform better at Aintree if there was some cut in the ground and the same might apply to Boombawn.

There has been money coming for the Dan Skelton-trained horse, with the nine-year-old expected to come on leaps and bounds for the effort in the Plate at Cheltenham. The 80/1 shot performed really well when finishing eighth at the Festival and it should be noted that he was carrying seven pounds more than winner Madara.

Gordon Elliott's best chance of success is Firefox, with the eight-year-old obliging on a seasonal debut where there was a victory at Down Royal. The 8/11 favourite ran well on that occasion and then lost out to Iroko at Ascot. However, we saw the charge outrun his odds of 33/1 to finish fourth out of a field of twelve at Leopardstown in the Irish Gold Cup Chase. There was then a solid showing in the Cheltenham Gold Cup at big odds.

Bill Baxter won this race in 2023 and returns to the scene of his greatest career triumph at a backable each-way price. Warren Greatrex saddles a ten-year-old who has been hitting the frame regularly this term. Last time out, there was a mid-February runner-up spot in a handicap over nearly three miles. This came on really testing ground and we know the runner can go well at Aintree.