Liam Firkin looks at the winners and losers after the weights were revealed for the handicap races at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival.
The weights have been revealed for the Cheltenham Festival, so let’s take a look at some of the “winners and losers” though the eyes of the handicapper, and those that should be on your shortlist and those that should be discarded from your mind, when considering who to back, during the glorious four days at Prestbury Park.
Firstly it’s important to say that they will no doubt be many Irish trainers, owners and punters that bemoan some of the reassessed marks that the British handicapper has given to the Irish contingent; however, some will have fared better than others, and I’m confident there will be many an Irish winner of the handicap contests.
Let’s start with those who could consider themselves unlucky and those who from a handicap standpoint, are very much the losers, based on today’s weights reveal.
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Cheltenham Weights – The Losers
TAPONTHEGO
Martin Pipe - 16/1
He is one on many people’s radars given he has form lines that tie in with McLaurey, who is rated 136 and a Dublin Racing Festival winner. Taponthego has not gone unnoticed by the racing public and he clearly has not escaped the eye of the handicapper, this side of the water.
He was dropped a further 1lb in Ireland for his run on the weekend but any excitement around his prospects could well have been short lived as the UK handicapper has slapped him with a further half a stone, putting up to a mark of 135. I am sure that connections will feel he has been unfairly treated but only come the final race of the festival will we really know how much or little he had in hand.
STUMPTOWN
Cross Country – 5/2
He now has 11-10 to contend with and that puts him higher in the weights than many horses who have had success at Graded level. A further 8lb rise from the handicapper, for that easy victory over course and distance in December, will not please many backers of his. He did win that ran very comfortably and he looks a tailor-made specialist for the race, so the rise given to him by the handicapper could be futile but for the purposes of this piece, he is in the losing camp for me.
KARNIQUET
County Hurdle – 12/1
If there were any plans for the Martin Pipe for Karniquet, they are now over. Given a mark of 146 means he can only head in one direction and that of course makes any decision easier but I am sure that connections would have preferred the option of both races. That will take him out of novice company and a far more difficult as in The County Hurdle, over the 2-mile trip on the Friday.
WODHOOH
Martin Pipe - 6/1
Coral Cup - 10/1
The dreaded handicap form reassessment has struck Wodhooh, 6/1 favourite for the Martin Pipe. She looked very well handicapped based on form lines for this season and that mainly stems from her win over the same course and distance as The Martin Pipe, in December.
Horses in behind that day were Joyeuse, who went on to win what was formerly the Betfair Hurdle, now sponsored by William Hill and she bolted up that day, by eight lengths.
The third from that race at Cheltenham went on to win a Grade 2, while the fourth was the winner of a listed race. She had been extremely well backed ante post given that form line but the handicapper has given her an additional 5lbs to contend with, putting her on a mark of 141.
Still in with a chance? Absolutely. But clearly not as well in, as she would have been, prior to the handicapper taking a second look at her mark.
LANGER DAN
Coral Cup - 20/1
Langer Dan was never going to win a battle with the handicapper this season. He’s bolted up twice, in the last two seasons, in the Coral Cup on Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival. On both occasions, he was off a mark of 141.
He then followed that up by placing in a Grade 1 at Aintree, where he was beaten a short head, and then went on to place in the Grade 2, at Sandown. The subsequent mark from those runs of 160 has been harder to shift than some winter time ulcers.
He’s ran on three occasions this season and has been beat, 12 lengths, 28 lengths and 45 lengths. The handicapper has been unrelenting and he’s seen his mark drop just 2lbs.
That would put him in The Coral Cup off a mark of 158 and carrying a monster weight but it looks more likely that he’s not going to get a chance at attempting the Coral Cup hat-trick and based on his fine performances in graded company at the end of last season, you’d say that is rightly so.
The Stayers' Hurdle is where he will most likely now head, and the handicapper should sleep easy that he’s got this spring horse in at around the right mark this year. I doubt connections would agree and consider themselves on the losing side of this one.
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Cheltenham Weights – The Winners
BE AWARE
Coral Cup - 8/1
From a Skelton loser, to a Skelton winner. I had concerns that there would be considerations around collateral form, for Be Aware. A very good second place finish in The Greatwood, over the 2-mile trip at Cheltenham and was only beaten half a length by Burdett Road. He, has gone on to run in graded company and sits on a rating of 150 but that’s not where the form boosts end.
Cracking Rhapsody & Fiercely Proud were back in 6th and 10th place, in that Greatwood, in November. They have both since won nice races, most notably, Fiercely Proud, who went on to win the Premier Handicap Hurdle, at Ascot.
He is now rated 137, the same mark that Be Aware sits on and yet he was beaten nearly 12 lengths by the Dan Skelton trained grey. The pair did clash again in that Ascot race but I think Be Aware had other plans for this season and The Coral Cup is most likely it.
Many will be scratching their heads as to how Wodhooh has been given a rise in the weights for her collateral form but the same has not been applied for Be Aware!
In my book, he’s a winner at the weights, having survived any retrospective weight, from that Greatwood run, and could have plenty in hand. Langer Dan 2.0?
NURBURGRING
Jack Richard’s Handicap Chase - 8/1
He has spent almost a full season, jumping around Ireland, with the sole intention of having a crack at one of the big handicaps at Cheltenham, and I anticipated that the British handicapper would apply a lump of weight on his back.
For some, Nurburgring has had the perfect preparation for the returning Novice Handicap Chase for the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and he sits on a mark in Ireland, that is 7lbs below what he’s shown over hurdles, 143 versus his 150 rating, over the smaller obstacles and that is where he remains.
No second look at his mark and given that he comes in here off the same mark of 143, I think that connections will be very happy.
JAZZY MATTY
Grand Annual - 12/1
The Plate - 16/1
Cian Collins may not be the first trainer, whose name jumps off the page when British punters are looking for an Irish horse, who is “well in” at the weights but he has campaigned the former Gordon Elliot horse, Jazzy Matty, extremely well and although he is short enough in the markets for The Plate and The Grand Annual, he will still be flying under the radar of most.
He has some course form this season after giving Path D’Oroux a good run for his money at The Showcase Meeting, and you can also find form lines that tie in with the Henry De Bromhead trained, Gorgeous Tom, (more on him later)
Both of those horses, who Jazzy Matty, was admirable in defeat with, are rated in the mid-to-high 140’s whereas, Jazzy Matty has twice given weight away to the pair, been very competitive and has only seen a small rise from his Irish mark of 131.
He’s been allocated 135 from the UK handicapper, and if reproducing form that he’s shown in the early part of the season, then he is well in, off that mark. When it comes to the handicap weights, he’s a winner in my book.
MCLAUREY
County Hurdle - 7/1
Martin Pipe - 10/1
Another one for JP McManus and the Dublin Racing Festival winner, McLaurey, has only been given an additional 3lbs for his success in early February.
He was a a good winner of that 2-mile handicap at Leopardstown, with some progressive horses in behind him on that day, such as Storm Heart and I think the 3lb rise, giving him a mark of 136, still underestimates his ability and you could see him being competitive off this mark, given that it is more than plausible that he hasn’t yet reached his ceiling.
KOPECK DE MEE
Martin Pipe - 11/2
Coral Cup - 6/1
County Hurdle - 7/1
Kopeck De Mee has been late to the party as one of the biggest talking horses for this year’s festival. Purchased by JP McManus, while being exclusively campaigned in France, and has totted up his five-run requirement, across the water, in Europe.
Given that there is a simple calculation from the BHA of simply multiplying a French KG rating by two, in order to get your UK mark, you would have expected him to receive his rating of 136 but given that the BHA Handicapper could have taken another view to this horse’s form, there will be no complaints that he will be weighted based on that form from across the sea.
He has been well found in the market now and sits at the top of the betting for The Martin Pipe and given that his French rating of 68kg, has been taken literally, with no further scrutiny. He could not only be a winner at the weights, but also a Cheltenham Festival winner in just over two weeks’ time.
