The Plate Chase (formerly the Festival Handicap Chase, also sometimes known as the Brown Advisory Plate) is run over about 2 miles 4½ furlongs on the Thursday of the Festival. It regularly draws big fields and is one of the more wide-open handicap chases of the week.
Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Jockey | Age | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jagwar | O Greenall & J Guerriero | Jonjo O’Neill Jr. | 6 | 3/1 |
| 2024 | Shakem Up’arry | Ben Pauling | Ben Jones | 10 | 8/1 |
| 2023 | Seddon | John C McConnell | B Harvey | 10 | 20/1 |
| 2022 | Coole Cody | Evan Williams | Adam Wedge | 11 | 22/1 |
| 2021 | The Shunter | Emmet Mullins | J C Gainford | 8 | 13/4 |
| 2020 | Simply The Betts | Harry Whittington | G Sheehan | 7 | 100/30 |
| 2019 | Siruh Du Lac | Nick Williams | L Kelly | 6 | 9/2 |
| 2018 | The Storyteller | Gordon Elliott | D N Russell | 7 | 5/1 |
| 2017 | Road To Respect | Noel Meade | B J Cooper | 6 | 14/1 |
| 2016 | Empire Of Dirt | C A Murphy | B J Cooper | 9 | 16/1 |
Key Trends
Age profile: The age spread is unusually wide. Six-year-olds and eight-year-olds both have 4 wins, seven-year-olds 3. But ten and eleven-year-olds have combined for 5 wins, including Mister McGoldrick at 11 in 2008 and Coole Cody at 11 in 2022. Older horses perform better here than in most Festival races.
Favourite record: The favourite has won 5 of 19 (26%), with 11 placings from 20 total favourite runners. The average favourite SP of about 9/2 is reasonable for a handicap. The place record (55%) is decent.
Trainers: David Pipe leads with 3 wins from 27 runners. Venetia Williams has 2 from 29. Evan Williams has 1 from 7. The British yards have a notably better record than the Irish powerhouses in this race.
Going: Seven editions on Good, 7 on Good to Soft, and 5 on Soft. A near-perfect split. No Heavy ground edition.
What the Data Says
Mister McGoldrick at 66/1 in 2008 and Carrickboy at 50/1 in 2013 show this race can produce enormous upsets. The average winning SP of about 19/1 makes it one of the most volatile races of the meeting.
The old-horse angle is worth noting. Coole Cody (11), Seddon (10), Shakem Up’arry (10), and Mister McGoldrick (11) all won at double-figure ages. In most Festival races, anything over 10 is a negative; here, it’s not. These tend to be experienced handicap chasers who know their way around and handle the hurly-burly of a big-field chase.
David Pipe’s 3 wins from 27 runners (11%) leads the trainer table, and his placed record of 5 from 27 is decent too. Venetia Williams’ 2 from 29 (7%) makes her another to consider. This is a race where the British handicap yards have a genuine edge over the Irish super-stables.
Road To Respect (2017) and The Storyteller (2018) both went on to Graded success, showing the Plate can produce a quality winner. But most winners here are solid handicappers rather than future stars.
All Cheltenham Festival races are run at Cheltenham racecourse. See our Cheltenham course guide for trainer and jockey statistics, going analysis, and betting angles.