Plate Handicap Chase Tips & Odds

The race takes place at 16:40 on Thursday 10th March 2026.

Watch the race live on ITV1 and Racing TV who also offer options to stream the race via their streaming services.

Alternatively most bookmakers offer a free live horse racing stream allowing you to watch the race after you've placed a bet.

Winners of the Festival Plate aren’t perhaps quite as illustrious as winners of other races at the festival, though several useful performers have won the race over the years, including the 2017 winner the Noel Meade-trained Road To Respect. He belied his odds of 14/1 to run out a comfortable winner of the Festival Plate, scoring by six lengths, and it didn’t take long for him to prove his talents, following up in a Grade 1 contest at Fairyhouse the following month. 

The Plate’s make-up as a fiercely competitive handicap chase over two and a half miles means that there’s a multitude of different routes to the race, and recent winners have had both progressive profiles and have also dropped back into handicap company from graded contests. Competitive handicap races, such as the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham, are strong starting points.

The most successful jockey in the history of the Plate is the great Fred Winter, who has won the race on three occasions, with Slender (1951), Sy Oui (1953), and Caesar’s Helm (1958).

The honour of being the most successful trainer in the history of the Plate is shared by three trainers, Bobby Renton, Martin Pipe, and Nicky Henderson, with four each. The latter’s four wins in the race came courtesy of The Tsarevich (1985 & 1986), Liberthine (2005), and Non So (2006), while Martin Pipe’s four wins came courtesy of Terao (1997), Majadou (1999), Dark Stranger (2000) and Blowing Wind (2002). Meanwhile, Bobby Renton’s four victories came with Tudor Line (1954), Caesar’s Helm (1958), Siracusa (1959), and Merry Court (1968).