Haiti Couleurs is being aimed at the Grade 1 BetVictor Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday, October 31, as trainer Rebecca Curtis maps out the nine-year-old’s return from a summer break.
Racing Ahead reported that Curtis expects the former Welsh Grand National winner to begin his season in the three-mile contest rather than taking an initial run over hurdles. The Down Royal race would represent a shorter-distance test for a horse whose notable successes have also come over longer staying trips.
Curtis said Haiti Couleurs had summered well after a demanding campaign and had returned looking stronger. She indicated that she wanted to space his appearances this season because he puts plenty into his races, and said a hurdle run could prove as taxing as a chase outing rather than serving as a straightforward preparation.
Down Royal chosen for seasonal return
Curtis told Racing Ahead that Down Royal was the intended venue for Haiti Couleurs’ first outing of the season. She described the Champion Chase as a potentially suitable Grade 1 opportunity before the major runners from Willie Mullins’ yard emerge later in the campaign, while also judging the track likely to suit her horse.
The race is due to be run over three miles, a trip at which Haiti Couleurs won the Denman Chase at Newbury in February, according to the report. That result was presented as evidence of his ability to operate over a sharper distance than the marathon assignments for which he is better known.
Haiti Couleurs has previously won the Welsh Grand National carrying 11st 13lb, Racing Ahead said. Curtis acknowledged that his task may be tougher this season because his handicap mark has risen, although she also said he was in great form after his break.
The trainer’s comments make the Down Royal plan an intended starting point rather than a finalised wider programme. Racing Ahead reported that Curtis has also considered the Savills Chase later in the season, with the horse’s owners said to enjoy travelling to Ireland.
Opportunity to reset after spring efforts
The proposed comeback follows a difficult conclusion to Haiti Couleurs’ spring campaign. Racing Ahead reported that he was pulled up in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, having found the test demanding, before finishing 14th in the Aintree Grand National after fading late in the race.
Those performances came after what the report described as a strong earlier run of form. A return at Down Royal would therefore offer Curtis a chance to assess whether the summer has refreshed the gelding before she decides on further winter targets.
Racing Ahead said Haiti Couleurs had been light when he went out after what Curtis described as a hard enough season, but that he had subsequently filled out and looked big and strong again. Curtis’ preference to avoid a hurdle run is therefore part of a programme intended to limit the demands of his early-season preparation, with the Down Royal chase identified as the first competitive test.
That assessment is particularly relevant because the Champion Chase would ask Haiti Couleurs to show speed and sharpness over three miles, while his profile has been built substantially around stamina. His Newbury win suggests the trip is within his range, but his performance on the day would still determine how persuasive a starting point it is for the rest of his campaign.
Racing Ahead listed Haiti Couleurs’ record as 17 runs and nine wins, including six chase victories and three hurdle wins. The publication put his prize-money total at £478,343.
For now, Curtis’ stated preference is to bring him back in the Down Royal Champion Chase, where the race will provide the first competitive indication of how Haiti Couleurs has returned from his mid-season break.