Architect Tips has two ante-post fancies for the Plate Handicap Chase 2024.
Plate Handicap Chase
Entries for the handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival were announced earlier today. With the four-day highlight of the jumps racing calendar drawing ever closer, I have taken a look at the Plate Handicap Chase for this week’s ante-post preview.
Plate Handicap Chase 2024 Preview
The Plate Handicap Chase is a premier handicap run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs, and despite it being one of the more difficult races to solve, it often provides excellent value, and I think I may have found two appealing bets at double-figure odds.
Surprisingly, this remains a race that has deserted the all-conquering Willie Mullins, but James Du Berlais (16/1 on Betfred) could be a serious player if given the green light ahead of other possible entries that he still holds during the four-day meeting. The eight-year-old has the ideal profile for a race of this nature.
He achieved a smart level of form when formerly trained in France and it is worth pointing out that he made his stable at this meeting three years ago when he contested the Grade 1 Champion Hurdle.
I recognise that he could fare no better than ninth after being sent off just 14/1, but clearly his handler must have felt he was capable of being involved.
While the result failed to materialise into a positive outcome, he finished a good second in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Champion Stayers’ Hurdle and has primarily been kept to the larger obstacles ever since. Since returning a wide-margin winner on his chase debut, he has been highly tried, especially in his novice campaign.
He ran very well for a long way in last year’s Grade 1 Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival to finish sixth before concluding his season with a further couple of attempts at the highest level. He returned with a fourth in a Listed event and has made the frame back-to-back in a pair of high-quality handicaps.
In the Paddy Power Chase back in December over three miles, he travelled much the best under a positive ride, and although he could only finish fourth of 27 in the end, he was conceding lumps of weight to the first three, given that he was shouldering 11st 11Ib in one of the best handicaps of the Irish jumps season.
He couldn’t quite match that form next time in the O'Driscolls Irish Whiskey Leopardstown Handicap Chase over 2m5f, but still acquitted himself well to finish third of 25 despite being ridden more conservatively, which backfired to some extent.
I assume the return to prominent tactics will be in order next time, and the whole narrative of the Plate looks tailor-made for him. I think he is one of the classiest horses in the list of entries for that contest, so at double-figure odds, it would come as no surprise to see him attract support if confirmed next month.
Meanwhile, trainer Ben Pauling is having a stellar season, and there’s a good chance Shakem Up’Arry (16/1 on bet365) will try to go two places better than he did last year. He has always been held in high regard by his handler, and he ran a cracker in this race last year off a mark of 139 when third, beaten less than six lengths.
The ten-year-old has massively improved since and was last seen winning the Paddy Power New Year's Day Handicap Chase here very easily by more than seven lengths. He travelled and jumped beautifully throughout and quickened away like a horse who is at the top of his game, with the hot favourite Stage Star well beaten.
His mark will be stiffer next month, but he has the course experience, always runs well in large-field handicaps, and won’t mind if the ground is better because of his versatility. He is a classy horse who has plenty more to give and is very appealing at huge odds for a horse who will arrive in the race in arguably his best-ever form.
Plate Handicap Chase Odds
| Horse | Best Odds | Worst Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Madara | 12/1 | 10/1 |
| Letsbeclearaboutit | 12/1 | 11/1 |
| Pemroke | 12/1 | 12/1 |
| Saint Felicien | 12/1 | 10/1 |
| Theatre Man | 14/1 | 10/1 |
| James Du Berlais | 16/1 | 14/1 |
| Shakem Uparry | 16/1 | 14/1 |
Plate Handicap Chase Ante-Post Tips
It is hard to be sure as to who will run in the race given the large entries, and with both selections also holding entries in the Ultima Handicap Chase, their targets could change. However, I do feel both of these horses have an excellent chance if they run in this shorter-distance race.
JAMES DU BERLAIS has contested Grade 1 races at the last two Cheltenham Festivals, so he is sure to find this a lot easier, and his last two placed performances in a pair of what are the hottest handicaps that Ireland has to offer have been extremely encouraging, to say the least.
The eight-year-old has a lot more to come, jumps well, travels well, and has course experience under his belt. Willie Mullins has never won this race, but he could be the horse to change that statistic. I see him as a very nice value bet to at least make the frame. Hopefully, Willie runs him in the race.
James Du Berlais, 0.5 pts E/W, 16/1
Plate Handicap Chase
SHAKEM’UPARRY has to be a great each-way bet for the race. He ran a blinder to finish third in the race 12 months ago and turned in a really good performance when scoring here last time, and that win will have done his confidence a lot of good having shaped well at Newbury in his penultimate start.
Surely, he has plenty more to give, and his valuable attributes, such as his effective jumping and the way he can travel at speed, should again play to his strengths next month. He is also entered in the Ultima, but he barely stays three miles, and this race would be the best chance of him succeeding at the Cheltenham Festival.
