Plate Handicap Chase 2023 Tips - Odds, trends and final selections

Jon Vine

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Last updated: 15 Mar 2023

Jon Vine 15 Mar 2023

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Tips, odds and predictions for the 2023 Plate Handicap Chase
This handicap hurdle takes place at 4:10pm on day three of the Cheltenham Festival
Midnight River and War Lord are our two against the field

Expired

Lizzie Kelly rides Siruh Du Lac to victory (on the right) next to jockey Charlie Deutsch riding Didero Vallis in the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase. (Getty)

Once the Stayers' Hurdle winner has left the winners' enclosure at Cheltenham, a field of talented chasers will take part in the Plate Handicap Chase. This handicap has been won by plenty of future Grade One winners down the years and this year's renewal is looking as open as ever.

We won't be finalising any of our handicap tips until the final fields have been confirmed. In this article, you'll find the latest Plate Handicap Chase odds, key recurring ten-year trends and a shortlist of possible selections.

Cheltenham 2023 Tips - Plate Handicap Chase 2023 Guide

Plate Handicap Chase 2023 Odds

Name	Odds
So Scottish	7/2
Adamantly Chosen	15/2
Haut En Couleurs	15/2
Il Ridoto	10/1
Fastorslow	11/1
Midnight River	11/1
Stage Star	11/1
Bar	12/1

Plate Handicap Chase Key Trends

10 of the last 10 winners had run that year
10 of the last 10 winners had won a race between 19f and 21f
9 of the last 10 winners were rated between 140 and 149
8 of the last 10 winners had won that season
8 of the last 10 winners had run between 3 and 6 times that season

So Scottish is the strong favourite favourite for this year's Plate. Emmet Mullins - who won this handicap with The Shunter two years ago - watched his six-year-old win on his first two starts over fences back in October, and was last seen finishing just behind Boothill in a classy race at Ascot.

Being race-fit is a recurring trend that crops up with every handicap at the Cheltenham Festival. I understand that Mullins is a very shrewd operator and this race has clearly been the plan for some time, but we haven't seen So Scottish since November and anything could have gone wrong in the intervening months.

Willie Mullins is the dominant force in the top-graded races around Cheltenham. The County Hurdle has also proven to be a particularly profitable race for the meeting's leading trainer. Willie is, however, yet to win any of the handicap chases staged during the Festival. Adamantly Chosen sits prominently in the betting and would be of interest if he didn't go to the Turners' Novices' Chase. Haut En Couleurs is entered up here too, but this soft finisher wouldn't interest me.

Plate Handicap Chase Tips

Midnight River E/WPlate Handicap Chase 2023GET 11/1 HERE

Course-and-distance form is always valuable when it comes to the Plate. With that in mind, I'm going to side with MIDNIGHT RIVER, who came from well off the pace to finish third in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, before going two better on New Years' Day.

Harry Skelton's mount travelled sweetly throughout that contest, hitting the front turning for home before staying on strongly to defeat Stolen Silver. Midnight River has been upped seven pounds for that success, but that shouldn't stop him from running another huge race.

War LordPlate Handicap Chase 2023GET 20/1 HERE

Further down the market, WAR LORD holds plenty of each-way appeal in this handicap chase. Joe Tizzard's grey ran well to finish fourth in the Arkle last year and War Lord was one of my horses to follow at the start of the season off his mark of 149.

After a poor performance in the Haldon Gold Cup and a shocking run behind Midnight River here at Cheltenham, I'd almost given up on this talented eight-year-old. War Lord then came out and ran a blinder under 12-00 at Wetherby last month and this horses has the potential to run a massive race.