4th-Mar-2023

The Big Bite is a bit of a leap of faith, because his two runs this season have been disappointing.  But they were both on soft ground.  The last time he ran on goodish ground, at Doncaster last January, he dead-heated for second place with Before Midnight in a good handicap chase behind Funambule Sivola, who won the Game Spirit Chase next time and finished second in the Champion Chase last March.

He finished third in this race in 2021, when it looked like he had the race in the bag when he jumped to the front over the last.  He just hung toward the water jump and had to be straightened up, which caused him to lose ground and momentum.  That is his only run to date at Newbury.  He is 11lb lower in the handicap today, and, with cheekpieces fitted for the first time, that gives him a big chance.

THE BIG BITE WON (ADV 14/1, SP 12/1)