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Ultima Handicap Chase Preview - Cheltenham Festival


Published on: 10/03/2020

Ultima Handicap Chase Preview - Cheltenham Festival

March 10, 2020 14:50pm - Cheltenham

Distance: 3m 1f 0y

Grade: (Grade 3) (Class 1) (5yo+)

Runners: 23

Winner: £61,897

Going: Soft

The Ultima Handicap Chase brings some long-distance action to the first day of the Festival and is the first of five handicap chases held across the week. It can sometimes provide a stepping stone towards the Grand National and has produced previous Aintree winners such as Royal Tan, Team Spirit, West Tip, Seagram and Rough Quest.

Vinndication will be well-backed despite carrying plenty of weight. The seven-year-old returned from surgery in good form to win over three miles at Ascot back in November. He finished fifth in the Grade 1 JLT Novices Chase last year and looks the pick of the bunch for this race. There may be questions about whether he can carry the weight on the softer ground but this is a quality horse who looked ready to progress on his last appearance.

For an each-way option, look no further than Cepage who can be backed as high as 18/1. He has the speed to compete and has been working towards this step up in distance for a while. If he takes to the trip as expected, he will be in with a shout of grabbing a place.

Ultima Handicap Chase Winners - past six years:

2014: Holywell (7) - Richie McLernon (Jonjo O`Neill)

2015: The Druids Nephew (8) - Barry Geraghty (Neil Mulholland)

2016: Un Temps Pour Tout (7) - Tom Scudamore (David Pipe)

2017: Un Temps Pour Tout (8) - Tom Scudamore (David Pipe)

2018: Coo Star Sivola (6) - Lizzie Kelly (Nick Williams)

2019: Beware The Bear (9) - Jeremiah McGrath (Nicky Henderson)

Latest Betting odds:

Vinndication 6/1

The Conditional 15/2

Discorama 8/1

No Comment 12/1

Kildisart 12/1

Who Dares Wins 12/1

Mister Malarky 12/1

Cepage 16/1

Big Riverin 20/1

By Neil Morris

Published on: 10/03/2020

Any odds displayed within this preview were correct at the time of publishing (10/03/2020 13:48:22) but are subject to change.

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