2025 Festival Plate Handicap Tips
If Jagwar takes his place in the Festival Plate Handicap, it might well be the case that the horse goes off as favourite. Last time out, the runner was able to claim a victory when seeing off six other runners at Cheltenham in January, with a two and a half length triumph being achieved over two miles and four furlongs on soft ground.
However, there are lots of other viable contenders including Answer To Kayf who finished fourth in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at the previous Cheltenham Festival. Since then, there have been some impressive showings including a victory at Naas where the 7/4 favourite was able to register a win by twelve lengths.
Madara should also be familiar with Cheltenham Racecourse, with the Dan Skelton-trained charge having made two appearances at Prestbury Park. The latest effort came in December when finishing second out of eleven runners over two miles, four and a half furlongs. This came after finishing fourth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
There could be more to come from Springwell Bay, with the eight-year-old having won on New Year’s Day when scoring in the Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase at Cheltenham. This came after finishing second out of five horses in a Novices’ Chase back in December, with a victory at Chepstow back in October an excellent display.
2024 Magners Plate Handicap Tips
Haut En Couleurs finished second at Thurles at the end of November, with the Willie Mullins-trained runner having finished fifth in the Magners Plate at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. There was also a solid showing at Aintree when finishing fourth out of twenty-nine runners in a handicap race back in April, with this runner among the favourites to win here.
Inothewayurthinkin has run three times this season, with the horse most recently finishing third out of five runners in a race where Gaelic Warrior claimed the spoils. Previously to this, the charge finished second to the same horse, with a seasonal debut seeing a second-placed performance out of eleven runners and this could be one for the shortlist.
So Scottish runs for trainer Emmet Mullins and horse was a faller at Cheltenham in December, with the horse finishing seventh in the same race last term. Perhaps he will be closer to Seddon this time around, with last year’s winner having obliged at odds of 20/1 although it will be interesting to see whether the horse can beat the handicap this time.
The eleven-year-old finished third out of eight runners at Far Hills in October, with the John C McConnell-trained horse having claimed a win by two lengths twelve months ago. Another one to consider is The Goffer although the Gordon Elliott-trained charge has failed to land a victory in any of the past six encounters.
2023 Plate Handicap Chase Betting Tips
So Scottish has been favourably handicapped according to the best Cheltenham Festival betting sites, with Emmet Mullins’ runner going off a mark of 10-12 and perhaps that will allow the six-year-old to be in the shake-up. The horse has had a long lay-off since finishing second in a handicap chase at Ascot back in November, with the runner having been seemingly tilted at this affair.
Haut En Couleurs carries an extra stone for this race although remains among the favourites, with the Willie Mullins-trained charge finishing sixth in last year’s Arkle and the horse then finished second in the Red Mills Chase when being sent off as the 4/6 favourite, while the same runner was a faller in the Horse & Jockey Hotel Chase.
Adamantly Chosen has been struggling for wins recently although a second-placed finish behind Mighty Potter in the Ladbrokes Novice Chase looks really impressive considering that the latter is favourite to win the Turners Chase. However, it’s possible that the horse will instead be entered for the first race on Day 3 of the Festival.
Stage Star looks like the best each-way bet in the race and the horse has triumphed three times in four races this season. Paul Nicholls will hope that the runner kicks on from landing the spoils at Cheltenham on 28 January when the horse was sent off at 11/4 before securing a victory. There could be more to come from a horse who has an impressive strike rate.
2022 Festival Plate Tips
There have been a variety of different Cheltenham trainers who have triumphed in the Festival Plate over the past few years and it’s clear that this handicap betting race is difficult to predict. Emmet Mullins saddled The Shunter to success last season at the Cheltenham Festival, with the eight-year-old landing the spoils off a relatively low weight of 10-5.
However, two of the previous three winners when it came to the Festival Plate betting odds were off a higher weight of 11-04, with The Storyteller and Simply the Betts managing to get a victory at the Cheltenham Festival. Our Cheltenham betting tips will hopefully give you an insight into the victorious connections.
Imperial Alcazar and Saint Sam Among Betting Favourites
Imperial Alcazar was distinctly underwhelming in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival, with the horse being well-fancied at betting odds of 11/2 although there have been more encouraging performances since that fateful day. Paddy Brennan gave the horse a decent spin in a festive race at Chepstow.
The same horse was then sent off at 9/1 by the leading horse racing betting sites in the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase on 29 January before claming a victory at Cheltenham Racecourse and this is likely to be among the Cheltenham tips when it comes to many of the leading contenders.
Saint Sam could well go off betting favourite for the 2022 Festival Plate, with the five-year-old having enjoyed a promising career thus far. The runner ran pretty well at the Dublin Festival when finishing third in the Patrick Ward & Co Solicitors Irish Arkle Novice Chase and that was behind Blue Lord and Riviere D’etel who will also line up in one of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival races.
Torn and Frayed could be the Cheltenham market mover, with the eight-year-old saddled by the experienced Nigel Twiston-Davies. A victory in the Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase at the end of January, with this being a six-length victory which has really laid down a market for this race.
The Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase takes place towards the end of Day Three when it comes to the Cheltenham Festival, with the runners and riders only confirmed close to the start of the race.
Siruh Du Lac was the winner of the 2019 race for trainer Nick Williams, with female jockey Lizzie Kelly riding the six-year-old to glory, while Road to Respect was another six-year-old who triumphed in 2017.
One of the more likely runners in the Brown Advisory is Ben Dundee who ran very well at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival. The eight-year-old finished third in the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase at odds of 33/1, with Gordon Elliott likely to send his charge into the race.
The fact that Ben Dundee was trading at 33/1 meant that he outran his particular odds, with the horse having run well at Navan and Leopardstown this season. We know that the charge can adapt to the conditions at Cheltenham and the horse could open as favourite.
Riders Onthe Storm ran in the same race at the Festival in 2019, although the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained horse fell in the Close Brothers race and will return to the racecourse hoping to stay on his feet this time.
The horse has scored two victories this season, with the seven-year-old winning the Virgin Bet Handicap Chase at Aintree when trading as the 4/1 co-favourite, while this was followed up by a victory in the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase.
Spiritofthegames is certainly a horse that knows his way around Cheltenham racecourse, with the eight-year-old having finished second at Prestbury Park in December and January.
The Dan Skelton-trained horse ran into second in a Gold Cup Handicap Chase despite trading at 40/1, with the runner coming off second best to Warthog in the run-in, while it was another second place finish in a Grade 3 race on 25 January and the horse has to be considered again.
The 2022 Cheltenham Festival betting odds are now available for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, with this being one of the longer distance encounters at the meeting. This is a fantastic race on Day Two of the Festival, with Galopin Des Champs potentially trading at odds-on to win this important race.
Paul Nicholls could have a leading contender in the form of Bravemansgame who has won his past few races and it’s worth comparing the Cheltenham Festival 2022 odds to find out the horses that are likely to run. Make sure you take up the Cheltenham NRNB odds where possible.
The Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase takes place towards the end of Day Three when it comes to the Cheltenham Festival, with the runners and riders only confirmed close to the start of the race.
Siruh Du Lac was the winner of the 2019 race for trainer Nick Williams, with female jockey Lizzie Kelly riding the six-year-old to glory, while Road to Respect was another six-year-old who triumphed in 2017.
One of the more likely runners in the Brown Advisory is Ben Dundee who ran very well at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival. The eight-year-old finished third in the Close Brothers Novices’ Handicap Chase at odds of 33/1, with Gordon Elliott likely to send his charge into the race.
The fact that Ben Dundee was trading at 33/1 meant that he outran his particular odds, with the horse having run well at Navan and Leopardstown this season. We know that the charge can adapt to the conditions at Cheltenham and the horse could open as favourite.
Riders Onthe Storm ran in the same race at the Festival in 2019, although the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained horse fell in the Close Brothers race and will return to the racecourse hoping to stay on his feet this time.
The horse has scored two victories this season, with the seven-year-old winning the Virgin Bet Handicap Chase at Aintree when trading as the 4/1 co-favourite, while this was followed up by a victory in the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase.
Spiritofthegames is certainly a horse that knows his way around Cheltenham racecourse, with the eight-year-old having finished second at Prestbury Park in December and January.
The Dan Skelton-trained horse ran into second in a Gold Cup Handicap Chase despite trading at 40/1, with the runner coming off second best to Warthog in the run-in, while it was another second place finish in a Grade 3 race on 25 January and the horse has to be considered again.
Festival Plate FAQ
The Plate Handicap Chase is the penultimate horse race on Day Three of the Cheltenham Festival, with this race scheduled to go off at 4.40pm. You will generally find a big field of runners lining up and there’s the chance to place bets on the outcome.
At the time of writing, there’s no obvious favourite when it comes to the Festival Plate Handicap and you will find Crebilly, Madara and Gemirande among the market leaders. You can get a decent price about any of the runners for this handicap encounter.
We recommend signing up with some of the bookmakers which are featured at Racing-Odds.com. You can secure a free bet when you sign up and then choose to bet on this Cheltenham Festival race, tapping on a selection and then nominating your stake.
In recent times, we have seen a few different favourites win although it’s generally been the case that the front runners in the betting market haven’t ended up landing a victory. It’s hardly a surprise when you consider a big field is usually lining up to compete in the race.
It was Shakem Up’Arry who was able to win the 2024 Festival Plate Handicap and this was the third consecutive time that a horse aged ten or older was able to oblige with a victory. Coole Cody and Seddon have also been victorious, with The Shunter winning in 2021.
We would recommend an each-way wager when it comes to the Festival Plate Handicap, with punters able to select a runner and get a return if the selection runs into a place. The each-way terms can often be favourable for punters.
The Festival Plate Handicap isn’t always on terrestrial television, although there’s the opportunity to watch the live streaming of a race through your online betting account. You can deposit into your balance and then access free live streams without needing a subscription.
We recommend studying the form guide in order to try and find the winner of the Festival Plate Handicap. There are lots of horses and it’s worth finding a runner who has had a good season including a few victories along the way.