Festival Handicap Steeple Chase

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The Cheltenham Festival handicaps are routinely tough puzzles for punters to solve, but they can be amongst the most rewarding of the week when successful.

The first opportunity is the Festival Handicap Steeple Chase, race three on day one, which is run over a trip of three-miles-and-one-furlong. This contest has been dominated by British-trained winners, stretching back to the Tony Martin-trained Dun Doire, the most recent Irish winner in 2006.

In 2009, this contest produced one of the all-time great Cheltenham Festival rides, as AP McCoy somehow got Wichita Lineman up to score in the shadows of the post for trainer Jonjo O’Neill.

The Jackdaws Castle handler and David Pipe are often trainers to follow in this contest, boasting three wins apiece since 2008.

Festival Handicap Steeple Chase: Tips and Predictions

Note: the predictions below refer to the 2021 running of this race – preview will be updated closer to the beginning of the 2022 Cheltenham Festival.

Horses towards the front of the betting tend to do well in this handicap and, with a lower than normal turnout of 16, that bodes well for the likes of Happygolucky, Aye Right and One For The Team – all with strong credentials.

Kim Bailey’s charge is a deserving favourite but maybe Nicky Henderson can have PYM peak for this. He has course form and won on his comeback at Sandown before running below that soon after in November. He typically goes well fresh and his trainer won this race in 2019.

Enda McElhinney‘s Selection: Pym

2021 Winner: Vintage Clouds (Ryan Mania) 28/1

Betting Odds

Check the Cheltenham Results page for details of the race result.

Festival Handicap Steeple Chase: Recent Winners