2024 Cheltenham Festival Handicap Tips: 12/1, 16/1 and 33/1 Betting Tips

Categories: Blog, Cheltenham Festival, Featured | Published by: Rideout Racing

12/02/2024

We’ve asked Rideout_Racing from Twitter to preview some of the Cheltenham Festival handicap races and he’s come up with an each-way 33/1 tip in the Plate.

With less than 7 weeks to go until the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, I have taken the time to scan through some of the handicap markets. A few horses caught my eye at this early stage, and one was of particular interest at 33/1.

Ultima Handicap Chase Tip (Tuesday)

Two-time defending champion and Grand National hero Corach Rambler could bid to land a third Festival success in the first handicap of the week. Officially rated 159, he would have to carry 19lbs more than his first success back in 2022. Chianti Classico has been put up by a handful of good judges and he has obvious claims. The one that caught my eye at this current stage was Midnight River for the Skeltons. I thought he was running a big race when coming down in this season’s Coral Gold Cup and he remains fairly unexposed as a staying handicap chaser. With good Cheltenham form in the book and a prominent style of racing to suit, he has a fair bit in his favour, but I do worry he may just be a little too high in the weights off 156.

Selection: Midnight River at 16/1 with bet365’s Cheltenham offer.

Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Tip (Tuesday)

Batman Girac and Lark In The Morning have been the talking horses for this year’s Boodles and both would appear to have nice profiles for the race. It’s not a race I’ve had great success in ante-post and I believe a watching brief for the next two weekends could be advantageous. Willie Mullins has a whole host of potential Triumph candidates set to clash at The Dublin Racing Festival and I’d be looking out for one of the beaten ones that could rock up the Boodles off a lenient-looking mark. Kargese in the silks of the mighty Honeysuckle could fit the bill.

Selection: Kargese at 12/1 with the BetUK Cheltenham offer.

The Coral Cup TIp (Wednesday)

Heading into trials weekend at Cheltenham JP McManus could have a well-handicapped horse on his hands in the shape of Sa Majeste. With two runs over hurdles in France and two for Willie in Ireland he’s qualified for the handicap hurdles and remains dangerously unexposed. His form will be majorly tested this weekend after he beat Noble Yeats off level weights at Limerick over Christmas. I am sure the handicapper will have some reassessing to do but he could be a graded horse in a handicap come March.

Selection: Sa Majeste at 16/1 with bet365’s Cheltenham offer.

Festival Plate Handicap Chase Tip (Thursday)

Emmet Mullins is one of the shrewdest operators on the circuit and he trains the current favourite So Scottish, who has threatened to land one of these major festival handicaps for a while now. He’s of interest once again but I favour the chances of another potential JP McManus runner.

2020 County Hurdle winner Saint Roi has an excellent record at the festival, backing up that success with a fine third in the 2022 Champion Hurdle and 2023 Arkle. On both occasions two miles on the Old Course appeared to see him a little outpaced, all be it by proper Grade 1 horses, and he duly stayed on strongly up the hill.

His sole start over the intermediate trip came at Aintree last year where he went down just over a length to the now 161-rated Banbridge. Officially Rated 151, Saint Roi looks nicely handicapped on that piece form and he’s dangerously unexposed over two and a half miles. Saint Roi was tailed off against the likes of Dinoblue and Captain Guinness on his first two starts this season before Mullins dropped him into handicap company off top weight last time out. Held up throughout, he made some late headway despite being hampered and showed enough to suggest the engine is still there. I believe his campaign to date over the minimum trip may be by design before he steps up in trip at one of the big spring festivals.

I think there is an awful lot to like about his 33/1 price tag and I would be in favour of him coming here over the Grand Annual, for which is around the 10/1 mark. Obviously, the English handicapper is yet to have his say but I’d be amazed if he went up more than a couple of pounds, and it may well be that JP and Willy opt for a claimer.

Selection: Saint Roi at 33/1 with Unibet.

The Martin Pipe Tip (Friday)

The final race of the festival is the Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle over the intermediate trip. With an illustrious roll call featuring the likes of Galopin Des Champs and Don Poli, the Martin Pipe often throws up a top-class staying chaser for the future. I think An Tobar may fit that bill for Henry De Bromhead and Robcour. He already appears to be crying out for fences but has some nice form to his name over inadequate trips. Officially rated 138, he needs one more run to qualify and is worth keeping an eye on at the Dublin Racing Festival. I expect him to go the Nathaniel Lacy over 2 miles and 6 furlongs. If he places there, a tilt at the Albert Bartlett is likely on the cards but an eye-catching fourth or fifth could see him head down the handicap route.

Selection: An Tobar at 16/1 with bet365’s Cheltenham offer.