- Festival Races
Festival Handicap Chase Odds
Cheltenham 14:30 Result
Ultima Handicap Chase (Grade 3) (GBB Race)
- 5yo+, 16 Runners
- jumps, Turf
- Winner £46,423, 2nd £17,490, 3rd £8,753, 4th £4,373, 5th £2,195, 6th £1,097, 7th £545, 8th £281
- Distance 3m 1f 0y
- Going SOFT (Good to soft in places) changing to GOOD TO SOFT (Soft in places) after Race 5 (3.40)
- Off Time 14:30
- Winning Time 06:31
- Race Status: WeighedIn
-
1stVintage Clouds- Ryan Mania
- Sue Smith
- 11 years, 10-11
1 Tip1 Nap28/1Morejumped right on occasions, pressed leader, led 10th, headed 13th, led again 14th, briefly headed 4 out, pushed along 3 out, 1 length ahead last, ridden clear final 110yds, readily
Naps:
- Racing Post
Tipped by:
- Colin Russell - THE NORTH
-
2nd5 ½Happygolucky- David Bass
- Kim Bailey
- 7 years, 11-1
5 Tips1 Nap100/30 FMoretravelled strongly, prominent, not fluent 13th, going easily on outer from 3 out, went second 2 out, ridden and 1 length down when not fluent last, edged left and no extra final 110yds
Naps:
- Matt Polley - Ipswich Star
Tipped by:
- Robin Goodfellow - Daily Mail
- Emily Weber - SPOTLIGHT
- Jason Heavey - The Star
- Rob Wright - The Times
- James Stevens - WEST COUNTRY
-
3rd2 ¼Aye Right- Richard Johnson
- Harriet Graham
- 8 years, 11-8
4 Tips3 Naps11/2Moredidn't jump with fluency, midfield on inner, steady headway and prominent halfway, pushed along after 3 out, ridden and went third last, kept on final 110yds, no match for first two
Naps:
- Karl Hedley - Irish Post
- Rockavon - Sunday Mail
- Jon Freeman - The i
Tipped by:
- Newsboy - Daily Mirror
- Garry Owen - Daily Record
- The Guardian
- Templegate - The Sun
-
4th2 ½Cepage- Charlie Deutsch
- Venetia Williams
- 9 years, 11-12
1 Tip14/1Moreraced wide, prominent, pushed along after 4 out, outpaced and lost ground 3 out, soon ridden and struggling, rallied after 2 out, went fourth inside final 110yds, ran on, not pace to challenge
Tipped by:
- TOPSPEED
-
5th1One For The Team- Tom Scudamore
- Nick Williams
- 7 years, 10-8
1 Nap17/2Moreprominent, not fluent 14th, hit 15th, soon lost position and pushed along, no impression when not fluent 3 out, ridden and rallied 2 out, kept on final 110yds, not pace to challenge
Naps:
- The Sun On Sunday
-
6th¾Discordantly- Robbie Power
- Mrs John Harrington
- 7 years, 10-10
1 Tip1 Nap10/1Moremidfield, steady headway and prominent 4 out, ridden and outpaced 3 out, rallied before 2 out, kept on from last, held final 110yds
Naps:
- Weekender
Tipped by:
- Steve Mason - RP Ratings
-
7thhdAlnadam- Harry Skelton
- Dan Skelton
- 8 years, 10-13
1 Tip4 Naps11/2Moreclose up, led when mistake 4 out, soon headed but every chance, ridden and lost second 2 out, weakened final 110yds (vet said gelding had lost its right-fore shoe)
Naps:
- Postdata - Racing Post
- Alex Hammond - Sky Sports Racing
- - Sunday Express
- Andrew Bladen - Wolverhampton Express & Star
Tipped by:
- POSTDATA
-
8th4 ½Nietzsche- Jonathan Burke
- Brian Ellison
- 8 years, 10-2
40/1Moretook keen hold, towards rear, steady headway into midfield 6th, hit 12th, soon niggled along briefly, steady headway and going okay again before 3 out, pushed along after 3 out, no impression from 2 out
-
9th2 ½Milan Native- Jack Kennedy
- Mrs Denise Foster
- 8 years, 11-3
1 Nap13/2Moredidn't jump with fluency, in rear, steady headway into midfield 12th, outpaced 14th, pushed along and struggling 4 out, no impression from 3 out (vet said gelding had lost its left-fore shoe)
Naps:
- Racing Post
-
10th6The Wolf- A P Heskin
- Olly Murphy
- 7 years, 10-5
22/1Moreraced wide, held up in rear, mistake 1st, pushed along and outpaced 14th, struggling from 4 out, never on terms
-
11th3 ¼Pym- Nico de Boinville
- Nicky Henderson
- 8 years, 11-7
3 Tips1 Nap14/1Moreraced wide early, led, headed 10th, led again 13th, headed but close up 14th, not fluent 4 out, soon pushed along and lost position, ridden and weakened before 3 out
Naps:
- Racing Post
Tipped by:
- The Scout - Daily Express
- James Burn - LAMBOURN
- Marlborough - Telegraph
-
12th3 ¼Admiral's Secret- Alan Johns
- Victor Dartnall
- 10 years, 10-10
20/1Moremounted in chute, ponied to start, towards rear, steady headway into midfield halfway, ridden and outpaced 3 out, weakened before 2 out (vet said gelding had lost its right-fore shoe)
-
13th21Fingerontheswitch- Millie Wonnacott
- Neil Mulholland
- 11 years, 10-0
66/1Moretowards rear, shaken up before 4 out, ridden and struggling before 3 out, soon beaten, lost touch before 2 out, tailed off
-
PUMoreraced wide, midfield, not fluent 4th, lost ground halfway, pushed along and struggling from 14th, lost touch and pulled up after 15th
-
PU -
PUMoretowards rear, not fluent 9th, pushed along and outpaced before 4 out, struggling from 4 out, no chance when bad mistake and nearly lost jockey 2 out, soon pulled up
Tote Returns
-
Total Win£39.3
-
Exacta£176.1
-
Trifecta£790.8
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Find the latest Ultima Handicap Chase odds, tip and racecard below.
Festival Handicap Chase Tips
Alex Stearn thinks the Skelton team can grab the Ultima prize.
Alnadam
What is the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase?
The Ultima Handicap Chase (known traditionally as the Festival Trophy) is a handicap chase held on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival, Champion Day, which takes place on a Tuesday in March. Run over a distance of three miles and one furlong, the race has been backed by its current sponsors, Ultima Business Solutions, since 2015.
What happened in the 2021 Festival Trophy Handicap Chase?
Sue Smith's Vintage Clouds was a fine winner of the 2021 renewal, as the galloping grey impressively beat Happygolucky by over five lengths, with Aye Right grabbing third and Cepage claiming fourth spot.
The history of the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase
The Ultima Handicap Chase began life as the National Hunt Handicap Chase, and was first run in 1946, when won by the Charles Rogers-trained Dunnshaughlin. The race, which has had several sponsors over the years, often serves as a warm up for the following month’s Grand National at Aintree, and a host of horses have appeared in both over the years, including in 2019 - when the second and third from the Ultima, Vintage Clouds and Lake View Lad, ran at Aintree the following month for their owner Trevor Hemmings. Three horses have won this race twice, with the most recent to do so being the David Pipe-trained Un Temps Pour Tout, who won the Ultima in 2016 and 2017.
Who is the most iconic winner of the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase?
The most memorable winner of the Ultima Handicap Chase is undoubtedly the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Wichita Lineman, though he is mainly remembered for his jockey more than anything else, receiving one of the great Cheltenham Festival rides from the legendary Tony McCoy when coming home in front in 2009 (when the race was known as the William Hill Trophy). Despite looking beaten with a circuit to go, McCoy wouldn’t give up the ghost on Wichita Lineman, who began to respond to his rider’s unrelenting urgings when still closer to last than first two fences out, before staying on with a remarkable burst to pick things up in the dying strides and bring the house down.
Are there any trials for the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase?
There are no specific trials as such for the Festival Trophy, though winners regularly make their mark in valuable staying chases throughout the season, such as the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby and the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow.
Who is the most successful jockey in the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase?
The joint-most successful jockeys in the history of the Ultima Handicap Chase are Robert Thornton and Tom Scudamore, with three wins each. Robert Thornton’s Ultima wins came courtesy of Fort Lightning (2004), Kelami (2005) and Bensalem (2011), while Tom Scudamore was successful on An Accordion (2008) and Un Temps Pour Tout (2016 & 2017).
Who is the most successful trainer in the Festival Trophy Handicap Chase?
The joint-most successful trainers in the history of the Ultima Handicap Chase are Fred Rimell and Fulke Walwyn, who have both won the race four times. Fred Rimell was successful with Cavaliero (1948), Frere Jacques II (1949), Land Fort (1951) and Holly Bank (1954), while Fulke Walwyn was successful with Ravencroft (1961), Team Spirit (1963), Lord Jim (1971) and Gay Vulgan (1977).