| Date | Time | Class | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 15th March 2024 | 16:10 | Ungraded | 3 miles 2.5 furlongs |
The St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase is the Cheltenham Festival’s signature foxhunter chase, run over Cheltenham’s Gold Cup course.
2024 St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase Preview
Two horses have emerged as strong favourites for the 2024 Foxhunter Chase at Cheltenham.
Its On The Line arrives at Cheltenham on the back of three consecutive wins, two achieved in hunter chases, and these run over 3 miles or more.
Given some of the talent in the field, he’s underpriced, as is Ferns Lock, who has won and finished second in his two hunter chases this season, also winning on his first outing in November.
The form and value of Premier Magic are hard to ignore. This gelding is the reigning St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase champion, and has lost no momentum this season, taking two wins from two starts over 3 miles.
Race Card
15.03.2024
Heavy
12
3m 2f 70y
| POS | Dist | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 st | Sine Nomine | Mr John Dawson | Fiona Needham | |
| 2 nd | 0.75 | Its On The Line | Mr Derek O’Connor | E Mullins |
| 3 rd | 5.5 | Time Leader | Mr Toby McCain-Mitchell | Miss Roach |
| 4 th | 6 | D’jango | Miss Immy Robinson | Miss V Collins |
| 5 th | nk | Billaway | Mr P W Mullins | W P Mullins |
| 6 th | 7.5 | Shantou Flyer | Miss Olive Nicholls | S Loxton |
| PU | Samcro | Mr T Hamilton | G Elliott | |
| PU | From The Heart | Miss N Parker | Mrs L Jones | |
| PU | Ramillies | Mr R James | D M Christie | |
| PU | Premier Magic | Mr Bradley Gibbs | B Gibbs | |
| PU | Ferns Lock | Mr B O’Neill | D M Christie | |
| PU | Quintin’s Man | Mr D Andrews | J Heard |
St Jame’s Place Chase Tips
*Note: Betting tips are only displayed on the day of the race.
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Indicated odds were updated on 2024-04-26 4:37:10 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 St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase Tips & Analysis
Our top tipsters are not keen on staking their reputations on the Festival Hunter Chase, with only Malborough weighing in with a tip. He’s backed Its On The Line for the win.
The favourite is priced too low for a profitable each-way bet if he only finishes in the places, so if you want to capitalize on Marlborough’s 64.76% strike rate when it comes to picking horses that place, you’ll need to back him with an under-evens place bet.
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Odds Comparison
About the St James’s Place Chase
The St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chasefeatures 5-year-old and above racehorses and amateur jockeys. Because the race is run over the same 3 mile 2½ course as the Cheltenham Gold Cup, it is sometimes referred to as the Amateur Gold Cup.
22 fences are jumped during the race. The St James’s Place Festival Hunter Chase has a tendency to produce repeat winners, with several horses taking the title twice in a row. One of these, Earthmover, performed the unusual feat of winning back the title after a five year interval.
The combination of amateur riders with horses of modest ability makes for a particularly unpredictable race. The accuracy of the market in picking genuine contenders can vary wildly – favourites do win with reasonable frequency, but so do horses priced over 10/1. Looking at recent winners, decent form is a requirement to take this race.
A win last time out is not essential, but a place is, and the horse should have won within its last three races. Not all contestants will have run over 3 miles previously, but those that have, and did so recently, deserve special attention.
Recent Winners
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Premier Magic | 10 | Bradley Gibbs | Bradley Gibbs |
| 2022 | Billaway | 10 | Patrick Mullins | Willie Mullins |
| 2021 | Porlock Bay | 10 | Lorcan Williams | Will Biddick |
| 2020 | It Came To Pass | 10 | Miss M. O’Sullivan | Eugene O’Sullivan |
| 2019 | Hazel Hill | 11 | Alex Edwards | Philip Rowley |
