The Grand Annual Handicap Chase is run over about 2 miles on the Friday of the Festival. It’s a fast, frenetic handicap chase that typically draws a field of 20+, and it has a long history stretching back to 1834. The pace is relentless and fallers are common.
Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey | Age | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jazzy Matty | Cian Collins | D J Gilligan | 6 | 17/2 |
| 2024 | Unexpected Party | Dan Skelton | H Skelton | 9 | 12/1 |
| 2023 | Maskada | Henry de Bromhead | D J O’Keeffe | 7 | 22/1 |
| 2022 | Global Citizen | Ben Pauling | K Woods | 10 | 28/1 |
| 2021 | Sky Pirate | Jonjo O’Neill | N Scholfield | 8 | 14/1 |
| 2020 | Chosen Mate | Gordon Elliott | D N Russell | 7 | 7/2 |
| 2019 | Croco Bay | B I Case | K Woods | 12 | 66/1 |
| 2018 | Le Prezien | P F Nicholls | B J Geraghty | 7 | 17/2 |
| 2017 | Rock The World | Mrs J Harrington | R Power | 9 | 10/1 |
| 2016 | Solar Impulse | P F Nicholls | S Twiston-Davies | 6 | 28/1 |
Key Trends
Age profile: The spread is remarkably wide. Nine-year-olds lead with 6 wins, but seven and eight-year-olds have 5 each, six-year-olds 3. There have been two ten-year-old winners and even a twelve-year-old (Croco Bay in 2019). Age is barely a factor.
Favourite record: The favourite has won just 3 of 23 (13%). They’ve placed 10 times from 25 total favourite runners. The average favourite SP of about 5/1 suggests the market often finds one to lead the betting, but it keeps losing. This is one of the worst races for favourite backers.
Trainers: Paul Nicholls leads with 4 wins from 44 runners. Henderson has 2 from 44 (identical sample size, half the wins). Jonjo O’Neill has 1 from 15, Elliott 1 from 12.
Going: Good ground has produced 9 winners, Good to Soft 7, Soft 6, and Heavy 1. A fairly even spread.
What the Data Says
Croco Bay at 66/1 in 2019 is one of the biggest-priced Festival winners ever, and this race has form for upsets. The average winning SP of about 17/1 makes it one of the hardest races of the week. Global Citizen (28/1), Solar Impulse (28/1) and Oiseau de Nuit (40/1) reinforce the point.
The Grand Annual is a pure handicap betting challenge. The 13% favourite strike rate is dire, and even Nicholls’ leading record of 4 wins from 44 runners is a 9% strike rate. In a 20+ runner handicap chase, the attrition rate from fallers and mistakes makes form even harder to rely on.
Henderson’s 2 wins from 44 runners (4.5%) is a poor return, though the yard has placed 9 times — so Henderson runners tend to be involved without winning.
The practical angle here is similar to the other big handicaps: forget the favourite, have a few each-way shots at double-figure prices, and don’t be surprised if the winner comes from left field.
All Cheltenham Festival races are run at Cheltenham racecourse. See our Cheltenham course guide for trainer and jockey statistics, going analysis, and betting angles.