| Date | Time | Class | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thur 14th March 2024 | 16:10 | Grade 3 | 2 miles 5 furlongs |
The Festival Plate is the premier open age group 2 mile 5 furlong handicap hurdle run at the Cheltenham Festival.
2024 Festival Plate Preview
The Festival Plate tends to produce lower odds favourites than is typical of Cheltenham Festival handicaps, and the 2024 edition is no exception with both Theatre Man and Crebilly likely to start the race priced under 4/1.
Crebilly’s record over hurdles is decent, with two wins and two second places from five starts. He also won in a novices chase at Exeter in February. However, his price offers little value in what is going to be a hotly contested race.
Theatre Man is priced not far off the favourite and boasts a comparable record over hurdles, although he is yet to win a hurdles race this season. You can still get him at over 4/1 at some bookies, where he offers decent value.
Saint Felician looks like the best value bet in the band of the market most likely to produce a winner. He won his last race over 2 mile 4 furlongs in February and has finished outside the places just once in his hurdles career.
Race Card
14.03.2024
Soft
21
2m 4f 127y
| POS | Dist | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 st | Shakem Up’arry | Ben Jones | B Pauling | |
| 2 nd | 1.25 | Crebilly | Jonjo O’Neill Jr. | Jonjo O’Neill |
| 3 rd | nk | Straw Fan Jack | Sean Houlihan | Sheila Lewis |
| 4 th | 1.25 | Life In The Park | M P O’Connor | H De Bromhead |
| 5 th | 1.5 | In Excelsis Deo | J J Burke | H Fry |
| 6 th | 2.75 | Frero Banbou | Charlie Deutsch | Miss V Williams |
| 7 th | 1 | James Du Berlais | D A Jacob | W P Mullins |
| 8 th | 1.25 | Il Ridoto | Freddie Gingell | P F Nicholls |
| 9 th | 1.25 | Watch House Cross | D J O’Keeffe | H De Bromhead |
| 10 th | 4.25 | Torn And Frayed | Sam Twiston-Davies | N A Twiston-Davies |
| 11 th | 1.25 | Embittered | Mr R James | G Elliott |
| 12 th | 1.5 | Arctic Bresil | Rachael Blackmore | H De Bromhead |
| 13 th | 4.25 | Mars Harper | J C Gainford | G Elliott |
| 14 th | 14 | Ciel De Neige | R P McLernon | B Haslam |
| 15 th | 1 | Killer Kane | Brendan Powell | J Tizzard |
| 16 th | 12 | Glengouly | D E Mullins | W P Mullins |
| 17 th | 7 | Hereditary Rule | Ben Harvey | J C McConnell |
| B | Saint Felicien | J W Kennedy | G Elliott | |
| PU | Fighter Allen | Jack Tudor | D Pipe | |
| PU | Riaan | D J Gilligan | G Elliott | |
| F | Theatre Man | H Cobden | R Bandey |
Festival Plate Tips
*Note: Betting tips are only displayed on the day of the race.
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Indicated odds were updated on 2024-04-25 4:38:04 UTC. Please note that
odds are subject to change.
Tips cannot guarantee betting success. Review tipsters performance and bet responsibly.
Tips cannot guarantee betting success. Review tipsters performance and bet responsibly.
2024 Festival Plate Tips & Analysis
There’s little consensus amongst the many pundits who have weighed in on the 2024 Festival Plate, with only the favourite, Theatre Man, picking up two backers.
This is a fair reflection of how unpredictable this race is, so you’re best off placing your bets for the Festival Plate at Boylesports, who are paying out each-way and place bets to 5th place.
Bookmaker Offers
Odds Comparison
About the Festival Plate
The Festival Plate is a handicap chase covering a distance of 2 miles 5 furlongs and 17 fences on the way to the finishing post.
While the Festival Plate offers one of the more generous purses for a Cheltenham Festival handicap, it’s field comprises horses good enough to compete at Grade 3 handicap level, but unlikely to ever have an impact on higher rated races. Unusually, the race has produced a multiple title winner, with The Tsarevich winning the race twice in succession in the 1980s.
As with any handicap you’re going to have to do the hard yards for picking a winner yourself, screening the field for horses whose weight and staying power match race and course conditions on the day. That said, the Festival Plate does favour horses who have shown form prior to competing, so horses with places or wins prior to the race are worth considering, particularly if there are wins over a similar distance.
Wins by rank outsiders are also the exception rather than the norm, which means you’re likely to find the winner lurking in the band of horses priced 16/1 or lower, although you’d be well advised to stay away from the underpriced favourites that are likely to emerge as a consequence of this race following on the day’s feature race.
Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Age | Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Seddon | 10 | 11-0 | B Harvey | J McConnell |
| 2022 | Coole Cody | 11 | 11-2 | A Wedge | Emmet Mullins |
| 2021 | The Shunter | 8 | 10-12 | Jordan Colin Gainford | Emmet Mullins |
| 2020 | Simply The Betts | 7 | 11-4 | Gavin Sheehan | Harry Whittington |
| 2019 | Siruh Du Lac | 6 | 10-08 | Lizzie Kelly | Nick Williams |
