Festival Plate Tips

Another handicap on Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival is the Festival Plate. It will take place at 4:40pm on Thursday, 13th March, 2025.

The full name of this race is the Festival Plate Handicap Chase.

Bookmakers are again offering some incredible price boosts and Festival Plate Bookie specials that you should not miss.

Bookies regularly stage specials involving runners in handicap races in the Festival Plate, as well as free bets to use on the race. Check out the best of them here:

First established in 1951, the Paddy Power Plate is open to chasers aged five-years-old and above. The race is two miles and four-and-a-half furlongs long, and has been won by sone excellent chasers down the years.

The first running of this handicap ended in a dramatic dead-heat, with the stewards unable to split Canford and Slender as they crossed the line.

The late, great Fred Winter rode Slender that day, and he went on to win the race twice more in 1953 and ’58.

Four trainers have managed to win the race on four occasions. Bobby Renton’s victories came between 1954 and 68. In more recent times, David Pipe and Nicky Henderson have both managed to match Renton’s tally.

While the race is open to older horses, novice chasers have a particularly good record in the Paddy Power Plate in recent years.

That trend continued in 2020, when Simply The Betts lived up to his tag of favouritism with an excellent win over Happy Diva and Mister Whitaker.