Ahoy Senor v Bravesmansgame headlines Wetherby's Charlie Hall Chase

The pair were last seen when Lucinda Russell’s Ahoy Senor claimed the Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree in April, with Paul Nicholls’ charge back in fourth.

That took Ahoy Senor into a 2-1 career lead, having also defeated his rival with a shock 66-1 success in the Sefton Novices Hurdle, at Aintree 12 months earlier, while Bravemansgame’s success came in the Kauto Star Novices’ chase at Kempton last Boxing Day, when Russell’s horse was second.

Ahoy Senor also has the advantage of having won last season’s Grade Two William Hill Towton Novices Chase under Derek Fox at Wetherby, while this will be the Nicholls horse’s first visit where he will be partnered by Harry Cobden.

Ahoy Senor’s trainer Russell is hoping the horse’s season will climax with a run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and said: "I'm just delighted to get him back on the track and start his season off.

"He's been in since July, we've been getting him ready and he's in fine, fine form.

"It's going to be an epic race, I think, and I'm looking forward to it."

Bravemansgame part-owner John Dance, who has a Flat training operation at Middleham, admits he’d love his horse to win the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day.

"He's won Grade Ones over both hurdles and fences but obviously both of those came in novice company and this is his first season in proper open company, so there are different challenges that come with that," said Dance.

"Paul has already said the King George is his main aim and it does look perfect for him. He won the Kauto Star, basically the novice King George, last season when he put up a great performance and everything seems to suit him there.”

Race sponsors bet365 have Bravemansgame as the overnight favourite, with Ahoy Senor, the mount of former Grand National-winning jockey Fox, second in the market, with Joe Tizzard’s Eldorado Allen, the Haldon Gold Cup and Denman Chase winner, looking the best of the rest.

Nicholls also runs Secret Investor, the mount of Bryony Frost, who makes his return after a 615-day lay-off, while Anthony Honeyball’s Sam Brown and Paint the Dream from Fergal O’Brien’s stable, complete the field competing for the £57,000 first prize after Scottish Grand National winner, Christian Williams’ Win My Wings, was declared a non runner.

Today’s other big race is the Grade Two bet365 Hurdle which sees Grade One-winning chaser Sporting John head a field of six.

The Philip Hobbs-trained horse appeared for the first time since January, having missed the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham.

Last year’s winner Indefatigable and runner-up Proschema also line up again.

After a very dry summer and early autumn, Wetherby’s chief executive and clerk of the course, Jonjo Sanderson, is hopeful that recent downpours will have helped.

He said: “Hopefully we have got enough rain.

"We got the 5mm on Thursday and 1.5mm this morning so it is just nice to get the drips and drabs to keep it moist.

“At the moment [Friday morning] the ground is good to soft, good in places and it has marginally eased since Thursday so that is maybe that rain soaking in a bit more.”

Sanderson is hopeful of a crowd around 8,000 today, saying: “The Charlie Hall is a seasonal highlight for us.

"It has got a lot of history and heritage behind it and hopefully it will be a good renewal.

“Last year’s race with Fusil Raffles was a famous one and also when everyone thought Cyrname would win it again and that didn’t happen.

"It should be a cracking renewal. These animals are very precious so we have got to make sure that we have still got the six in it and we have a very good race.” ​