2025 Ultima Handicap Chase Tips
Vintage Clouds, Corach Rambler and Chianti Classico are among the recent winners of the Ultima Handicap Chase. It’s always a quality handicap race which is a sure test of stamina and jumping ability, with many of the winners going on to perform well in the Aintree Grand National. It’s easy to see why Iroko is among the favourites, with the horse having run at the Festival last year.
The Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero-trained runner finished fifth in the Turners Novices’ Chase, with the runner having finished second in the Mildmay Novices’ Chase when running well over three miles and one furlong. Last time out, the horse ran well at Cheltenham when finishing fourth in the Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase and might benefit from a longer trip.
Haiti Couleurs has won on his previous two outings and could merit an each-way wager, with the latest success coming at Cheltenham in the middle of December. This was over three miles, one and a half furlongs, with the previous success coming against three other runners at Aintree when obliging by an impressive fifteen lengths.
Johnnywho is also among the favourites although it was a disappointing outing at Windsor last time out, with this coming after an underwhelming outing at Ascot. The most striking piece of form was a fourth-placed finish in the William Hill Handicap Hurdle at Aintree Racecourse, with Mascaccio and Springwell Bay also worth looking at.
2024 Ultima Handicap Chase Tips
Nassalam finished tenth in the Ultima Handicap Chase at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, with Gary Moore expecting his six-year-old to be more competitive when lining up in the 2024 Ultima Handicap Chase. The horse has put in some solid showings this season, finishing fourth out of ten runners at Aintree before a recent success at Chepstow out of ten runners in December.
Broadway Boy has succeeded in three of his four outings this term and could be another one for the shortlist. The five-year-old was last seen obliging as the 11/8 favourite when winning a handicap chase over three miles and two furlongs, with this coming after a Novices’ Chase success where the runner was able to secure a twenty-length victory.
Chianti Classico was able to record a big victory at Chepstow in October when scoring against six other runners and has since followed up this win with another success at Ascot. Monbeg Genius is another familiar name in the betting and there was a third-placed finish in the Coral Gold Cup Handicap Chase over three miles and two furlongs.
Martin Brassil will expect the seven-year-old to perform well depending on the amount of weight afforded to a horse who was able to fend off Appreciate It by half a length at Punchestown last month. Back in April, the horse actually beat Galopin Des Champs at Punchestown and that could see him directed to another Cheltenham race.
2023 Ultima Handicap Chase Betting Odds
The bookmakers will be watching where the money goes when it comes to the 2023 Ultima Handicap Chase, especially as the weights don’t always create a level playing field. Into Overdrive looks like a worthy favourite if the horse does go off as the market leader, with the eight-year-old having twice been in the winners’ enclosure and also registered a runner-up spot this season.
Mark Walford saw his runner produce a solid performance when finishing runner-up to L’Homme Presse in a handicap chase at Newcastle back in November, with the runner then winning the William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase over three miles at Warwick Racecourse and the runner beat several horses who are likely to be lining up here.
However, there are any number of potential winners, with Nassalam bidding to land a first win of the season for trainer Gary Moore. A third-placed finish in the Paddy Power New Year's Day Handicap Chase was fairly respectable and demonstrated that this runner is able to perform well at Cheltenham Racecourse, with more to come from this charge.
The Goffer has been in the frame several times this season and also merits respect, with Gordon Elliott’s horse likely to attract plenty of attention. There was a 10/1 winner in the Bulmers Leopardstown Handicap Chase at Leopardstown Racecourse in early February, although the horse struggled to make an impression in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle last year.
2022 Ultima Handicap Chase Tips
It’s worth keeping tabs on the 2022 Ultima Handicap Chase odds and working out the Cheltenham betting site that has the biggest prices about the horse you want to back. At the time of writing, the Cheltenham bookies have different Ultima favourites, with some betting sites wanting to get on the right side of Shan Blue.
Alternatively, other firms are expecting Does He Know to take lots of beating, while Imperial Alcazar, Aye Right and Escaria Ten are among the other market leaders. Punters know that if they have an each-way bet, then they can profit if the horse finishes in the top four or five places overall.
Shan Blue the Market Mover for the Ultima Handicap Chase
Dan Skelton saw Shan Blue run a creditable race at the 2021 Cheltenham Festival when finishing fifth in the Marsh Novices’ Chase. The horse was sent off at Cheltenham betting odds of 10/1 and finishing behind eventual winner Chantry House along with Fusil Raffles, Asterion Forlonge and Chatham Street Lad. However, this is clearly a step down in class and a step up in trip.
Shan Blue then finished a distant second to Chantry House over a longer trip at Aintree, with Skelton then sending out the horse in the Charlie Hall Chase at October. The runner ran a blinder and looked the winner all ends up before falling at Wetherby, with the horse now returning to the Cheltenham track and we can see the runner going well.
Who Are the Other Ultima Handicap Chase Favourites?
Does He Know is an experienced campaigner at Cheltenham Racecourse and the Kim Bailey-trained runner finished fifth in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle and the fact that the horse was sent off at 50/1 means that the horse outran his Cheltenham betting odds and set himself up for a successful future season.
There was a Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham in November where the horse finished second behind Threeunderthrufive over three miles and it’s clear that this Prestbury Park experience can secure him a big performance in the Ultima. However, a lot of recent successes have been achieved in a small field.
The Ultima Handicap Chase is also known as the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase, with this race being over three miles and one furlong. It is open to horses who are aged five years old or over.
At the moment, the race is sponsored by Ultima Business Solutions and the 2019 renewal saw Beware the Bear claim a victory for trainer Nicky Henderson. This was the first time that Henderson had ever enjoyed victory in this particular race.
This time around, it is GLENLOE who is trading as the favourite to win the Ultima, with the Gordon Elliott-trained charge having made three outings this season although none of those have resulted in a victory.
The nine-year-old finished fifth behind Faugheen at Punchestown before running into third at Navan in December and then finishing in the frame at Limerick on 28 December.
Glenloe did finish second in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle behind Delta Work two years ago, although it could be worth looking at alternatives as we get closer to the race.
THE CONDITIONAL looks another likely runner and David Bridgwater’s charge has already won at Cheltenham racecourse this season, obliging on 26 October in a Handicap Chase that also included favourite West Approach and Cogry.
The Conditional was recently fourth in a race at Warwick after making a mistake towards the end of the encounter although he’s likely to line up in this race and is certainly one to watch.
EARLY DOORS is another likely runner and we saw the Joseph O’Brien-trained horse win the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle over two miles and four furlongs.
It’s all about whether the JP McManus-owned horse can now return and win at the Cheltenham Festival for a second time, with the runner finishing second at Punchestown on New Year’s Eve, with O’Brien likely to prepare the horse for the third race of the Cheltenham meeting.
Ultima Handicap Chase FAQ
The Ultima Handicap Chase takes place at 2.40pm on Day 1 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. It will be run on Tuesday 11 March, with a big field expected to line up in the first handicap race of the meeting. It’s always packed with talented horses and provides plenty of entertainment.
The Ultima Handicap Chase betting market is always wide open and there are a number of horses jostling to be favourite at the time of writing. Masaccio, Haiti Couleurs and Johnnywho are among the market leaders, although it’s likely that a number of runners will be at a similar price.
When it comes to this handicap encounter, we would recommend waiting until closer to the off when the field is confirmed. There are lots of horses that will be withdrawn and that will affect the weights of the runners lining up. You can place an each-way bet and that means getting a return if your horse is placed.
Favourites don’t have a great record in the Ultima although that’s hardly a surprise. After all, the favourite is rarely available at really short odds and a big field means that it’s far more likely that another horse will win. However, we often see a short-priced horse claim a victory.
Chianti Classico was the winner of the 2024 Ultima Handicap Chase when obliging for trainer Kim Bailey, while Corach Rambler was able to land victories in 2022 and 2023. Many of the horses that perform well in this race will often go on to compete in the Grand National.
Here at Racing-Odds.com, we highly recommend an each-way bet on the Ultima Handicap Chase considering that there’s a big field lining up and it can often be the case that punters get five or even six places when they place their wagers. Alternatively you can bet on more than one horse to win.
The Ultima Handicap Chase can be watched in lots of ways although the best method could be to enjoy the free live Cheltenham streams when you sign into your bookmaker account. It’s great to enjoy the action and place bets on your selections along the way.
The Ultima Handicap Chase is traditionally difficult to find the winner, although punters enjoy the challenge of identifying the horses that have essentially beaten the handicapper. You can go through the racecard and pick out the horses that boast the best form too.
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