• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cheltenham Betting Offers

  • Home
  • Free Bets
  • Meetings
    • New Year’s Day Meeting
    • Festival Trials Day
    • Cheltenham Festival
    • April Meeting
    • Race Night
    • Showcase Meeting
    • November Meeting
    • International Meeting
  • News
  • Articles
    • Stats & Trends

Handicap Races at Cheltenham

fred winter juvinille handicap chase ladies day race information boardSpeaking theoretically, handicap races are the fairest type of race that you can bet on. A handicapper decides what weight each horse in a race should carry, basing it upon each horse’s ability. The better a horse is, the more weight it will have to carry. The idea is that this levels the playing field, meaning every horse has an equal chance of winning.

In a handicapper’s dream, every single horse would cross the finish line at the same moment. It has never happened, of course, nor is it likely to. The reality is that horses often out-perform their handicap and the information that a handicapper has to decide upon the weight that the horses will carry is limited. Even so, it’s a fascinating type of National Hunt race.

Handicap Races At The Cheltenham Festival

Race Distance Grade Prize Money
Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Chase 1m 7f 199y Premier H'cap £122,963
Martin Pipe Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 56y Class 2 Hurdle £73,778
County Handicap Hurdle 2m 179y Premier H'cap £98,370
Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup 3m 2f Class 2 Chase £72,188
Plate Handicap Chase 2m 4f 127y Premier H'cap £118,044
Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 213y Premier H'cap £98,370
Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle
Fred Winter Juvenile Novices' Hurdle
2m 87y Premier H'cap £78,696
Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f Premier H'cap £98,370
Ultima Handicap Chase
Festival Trophy Handicap Chase
3m 1f Premier H'cap £122,963

Handicap Races At Other Cheltenham Meetings

Race Distance Grade Prize Money
Veterans' Handicap Chase 2m 4f 44y Class 2 Chase £34,430
Handicap Hurdle 2m 179y Class 3 Hurdle £14,755
Weatherite Handicap Chase 3m 2f Class 2 Chase £29,511
Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 213y Class 2 Hurdle £19,674
Nicholson Holman Novices' Chase 3m 1f 56y Class 3 Chase £17,215
Kingston Stud Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 56y Class 2 Hurdle £24,594
Silver Trophy Chase 2m 4f 127y Grade 2 £68,621
Mares' Handicap Chase 2m 62y Class 2 Chase £23,473
Fillies' Juvenile Handicap Hurdle 2m 179y Premier H'cap £39,348
Mares' Handicap Chase 3m 2f Class 3 Chase £19,674
Mares' Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 56y Class 2 Hurdle £29,511
EBF Mares' Novices' Handicap Chase 2m 4f 127y Grade 2 £43,664
Greatwood Handicap Hurdle 2m 87y Premier H'cap £98,370
Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f 26y Class 3 Hurdle £15,849
Intermediate Handicap Hurdle 2m 5f 26y Class 3 Hurdle £24,702
Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 208y Class 2 Hurdle £29,511
Handicap Chase 3m 3f 71y Premier H'cap £73,778
Cross Country Handicap Chase 3m 6f 37y Class 2 Chase £34,430
Novices' Limited Handicap Chase 2m 4f 44y Class 3 Chase £30,211
Handicap Chase 1m 7f 199y Class 2 Chase £49,185
Novices' Handicap Hurdle 2m 87y Class 3 Hurdle £15,849
Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase 3m 1f 67y Class 3 Chase £25,463
Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 213y Class 2 Hurdle £21,641
Cross Country Handicap Chase
Crystal Cup
3m 6f 37y Class 2 Chase £34,430
December Handicap Chase 3m 2f Premier H'cap £68,859
Mares' Handicap Chase 2m 4f 127y Class 3 Chase £21,164
Catesby Handicap Hurdle 2m 179y Class 3 Hurdle £20,768
Novices' Limited Handicap Chase 3m 1f 56y Class 2 Chase £13,814
December Mares' Handicap Hurdle 2m 4f 56y Class 2 Hurdle £29,511
December Gold Cup Handicap Chase 2m 4f 127y Premier H'cap £127,881
Trophy Handicap Chase 2m 4f 127y Premier H'cap £98,370
Novices' Handicap Chase 2m 4f 127y Class 2 Chase £29,511
Handicap Hurdle 2m 7f 213y Class 2 Hurdle £24,593
New Year's Day Handicap Chase
Fairlawne Handicap Chase
2m 4f 127y Premier H'cap £98,370
Handicap Chase 3m 2f 70y Class 2 Chase £24,593
Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle 2m 87y Class 3 Hurdle £15,849
Amateur Jockeys' Handicap Chase 3m 1f Class 3 Chase £15,838
Handicap Hurdle 2m 3f 200y Class 3 Hurdle £16,150
SSS Super Alloys Handicap Hurdle 2m 179y Class 2 Chase £29,511
Handicap Hurdle (Series Qualifier) 2m 7f 208y Class 2 Hurdle £24,593
October Handicap Chase 1m 7f 199y Class 2 Chase £59,022
Handicap Chase 3m 1f Class 2 Chase £59,022
Paddy Power Gold Cup 2m 4f 44y Premier H'cap £157,662

Handicap Races Explained

martin pipe conditional race board at cheltenham gold cup dayHandicap races are run both on the flat and over jumps, though it’s obviously only the latter race type that we’re interested in here. The idea behind handicap races is that the amount of weight a horse will carry will then affect its ability to run fast. That’s why the better a horse is the more it will have to carry, with the hope being that it will stop it from running away with a race.

Obviously the converse is also true, with poorer horses carrying less weight and therefore having a better chance of winning the race, or at least catching up with horses that are theoretically much better than them. The real key for those watching a handicap race is in picking out a horse that is better in reality than the handicapper thinks that they are.

This perfect balance of a horse carrying less weight than it should be and its decent ability is what prevents owners and trainers with a chance to win races and bettors with an opportunity to catch the bookmakers cold. The handicap weights horses have to carry are based on the British Horseracing Authority’s Official Ratings.

How Handicaps Are Decided

county handicap hurdle board at cheltenham racecourse gold cup dayObviously the handicappers need to be able to come up with a fair method of applying a handicap, rather than simply guessing about a horse’s ability. In order to be given a handicap a horse must do one of the following two things:

  • Race 3 times
  • Win a race

Once a horse has achieved one of these two things the handicapper can then assess them and award them their mark. Analyse of a horse is based on where they finish in a race in relation to other horses that already have a handicap. If they finish so far behind the rest of the pack for their 3 races then it might be necessary for them to race more than 3 times.

Applying Handicaps To Horses

grand annual chase race board at cheltenham gold cup dayOnce a handicapper has decided upon the rating of each horse in a race, the horses will then be assigned the amount of weight that it will have to carry. The horse with the highest rating will, as you can imagine, carry the heaviest weight and the horse with the lowest rating will carry the smallest weight size.

A good rule of thumb is that a horse will carry one pound less for every point their rating is worse than the next horse in the list. So if one horse has a rating of 59 and carries 9 stone 7 pounds and the next horse’s rating is 56 then they will carry 9 stone 4 pounds. Ultimately, of course, a rating is simply a handicapper’s ‘best guess’ at the ability of a horse.

Rules For Handicap Races

rules 1When it comes to handicap races, there aren’t a huge heap of them that have to be adhered to in every event. The BHA’s mission statement for handicapping says that they will be fair, transparent, accountable and consistent in the handicaps they apply. The very idea behind them is to allow horses of different abilities to take part in the same races.

Whilst the rules that apply to handicap races aren’t exactly uniform, handicap races will have their own rules applied to them to mean that certain horses won’t be able to take part in certain races. A horse that has a rating as high as 85, for example, would be unable to take part in a race that is limited to horses with a rating of 0 to 75.

The handicap ratings are updated by the BHA every Tuesday of the racing season, meaning that horses will always be around where they should be in terms of their rating. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the handicappers always get things right. It’s not exactly unheard of for a horse to be under run in one race to get a lower handicap for a more prestigious one.

Handicap Races Major Examples

grand national day runners at aintree

As always, the very best way of showing you the manner in which handicap races work and how they can be vastly different from each other is by having a look at some more specific examples. There’s no better place to start than with the Grand National, which is arguably the most famous handicap race in the world.

The Grand National

Inaugurated in 1839, though that date is debated by some, the Grand National is also known as ‘The World’s Greatest Steeplechase’ and takes place at Aintree in April. It is run over 4 miles and 514 yards, featuring 30 fences during that distance as the horses do two laps of the course. Here’s the qualification criteria in place for it:

  • Horse must be 7-years-old or over
  • They must have a rating of 120 or more from the BHA
  • They need to have previous placed in a recognised chase of 3 miles or over

The maximum weight for the Grade 3 race is 11 stone and 10 pounds, whilst the £1 million prize money on offer in 2019 made it the most valuable jump race run in Europe. The Grand National tends to be enjoyed even by people that don’t typically like horse racing, largely because of the sense that anyone taking part can win it.

Part of the National’s appeal is the fact that it is such a demanding race. Many of the jumps that horses need to get over during the race are larger than more typical jumps found in other races. A number of the jumps have become famous thanks to exploits that have occurred over them in the past, such as The Chair and Becher’s Brook.

Whether the feeling that any horse can win the race is based on the handicapping system used for it or the difficulty of the fences isn’t something that can be easily answered, though more than a few horses have beaten their handicaps to win the event over the years, therefore cementing their place into the horse racing history books.

Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle

Open to horses aged 4 and over and run over 2 miles, 4 furlongs and 56 yards, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle was established in 2009. Named after Martin Pipe, the National Hunt trainer who retired in 2006 after winning 34 races during the Cheltenham Festival, it takes place in March during that very event.

Restricted to conditional jockeys, it is a hurdle race that features nine obstacles for the horses to get over before the end of the race. The race is given the honour of being the final race of the Festival, bringing the meeting to a close. Interestingly, the jockeys have as many rules applied to them as the horses, needing to be under 26 and having won more than 75 times.

Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup

Another handicap race run at the Cheltenham Festival is the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup. It is for horses aged 5 and over and is run left-handed on the New Course. It is a race for amateur riders that takes place over 3 miles and 2 furlongs and features 21 fences.

It was established in 1946 as the Kim Muir Amateur Riders’ Steeplechase. Fulke Walwyn’s name was added to the race in 1991 to honour the trainer who enjoyed 40 wins at the Festival out of a total of 211 at Cheltenham Racecourse.

Welsh Champion Hurdle

Run in Wales at Ffos Las and open to horses aged 4 and up, the Welsh Champion Hurdle takes place in October over 2 miles. It was first run at Chepstow in 1969 and only left the racecourse in 2002. It was a Listed offering when it was run during the 1980s and normally took place on Easter Monday.

The race began to decline in the 1990s, with even moves to run it as a handicap race between 2000 and 2002 doing little to revitalise its popularity. It was dropped by the National Hunt in 2003 and not revived until 2010, at which point it returned as a Limited Handicap race. It has been run over its present length and in October since 2016.

Lanzarote Hurdle

Despite its exotic name, the Lanzarote Hurdle is actually run at Kempton Park and is for horses aged 4 and up. It takes place over 2 miles and 5 furlongs, with 10 hurdles to be negotiated during that distance. Scheduled to take place in January every year, the race is named after Lanzarote, the winner of the 1974 Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

First run in 1978, it was run over 2 miles for a number of years and only had 8 hurdles. It was moved to Carlisle as a one off in 2006 and when it came back to Kempton Park the following year its distance had been extended and two new jumps added. It was thought of by race lovers as being akin to an entirely new event.

Conclusion

coral cup ladies day race information board

You can see from the various races, then, the huge differences that can apply to handicap events. From the 4 plus miles of the Grand National that is only open to horses aged 7 and up through to the 2 miles and 5 furlongs Lanzarote Hurdle with its 10 hurdles to jump, you’d be forgiven for thinking that they only thing that they have in common is that horses take part in them.

The ability of a horse dictates which sort of handicap race it can take part in, as does its age. There are plenty of different handicap races run during the National Hunt season, with the majority of races that more jump horses will take part in being handicap offerings. That’s something to think about when bearing in mind how the rules of the races are so different.

Primary Sidebar

Cheltenham Free Bets

Meetings at Cheltenham

  • Cheltenham Festival
    • Champion Day
    • Ladies Day
    • St Patrick’s Thursday
    • Gold Cup Day
  • Festival Trials Day
  • New Year’s Day
  • November Meeting
    • Countryside Day
    • Gold Cup Day
    • November Meeting Sunday
  • Race Night
  • Showcase Meeting
    • The Showcase Friday
    • The Showcase Saturday
  • The April Meeting
    • April Meeting Day One
    • April Meeting Day Two
  • The International Meeting
    • International Friday
    • International Saturday

Race Types

  • Amateur Races
  • Championship Races
  • Conditions Races
  • Cross Country Races
  • Cup Races
  • Fillies' Races
  • Grade 1 Races
  • Grade 2 Races
  • Grade 3 Races
  • Handicap Races
  • Hurdle Races
  • Juvenile Races
  • Listed Races
  • Maiden Races
  • Mares' Races
  • Novices' Races
  • Premier Handicap Races
  • Standard Open Flat Races
  • Steeplechase Races
  • Trial Races
  • Trophy Races
  • Discontinued Races

Latest News

  • Can Horse Racing Adapt to Climate Change?
  • Aintree & Cheltenham Amongst Jockey Club Courses To Drop Dress Code
  • What Can Be Done To Combat Race Fixing In Horse Racing?
  • Jockeys Are Struggling With The New Whip Rules
  • Cheltenham Festival Trials Day Likely To Go Ahead As Temperatures Rise This Week

Articles

  • Who Are The BHA?
  • Origins Of Steeplechasing
  • Is Horse Racing Too Traditional? Why Is It So Confusing?
  • Robot Horse Racing
  • Are There More Fatalities On Hard Ground In Horse Racing?
  • Types Of Jump Racing Fences
  • Biggest Comebacks In Horse Racing
  • Difference Between A Hurdle & A Fence In Jump Racing
  • What Are Hurdles & Fences Made From?
  • Why Are Race Distances Measured In Miles, Furlongs & Yards
  • Stag And Hen Do's At Cheltenham
  • Each-Way vs Place Betting: Which Is Better?
  • What Are Final Declarations
  • Does Illegal Horse Racing Still Happen?
  • What Is Pony Racing? How Is It Different To Horse Racing?
  • Ladies At The Races
  • What Do Nose, Head, Neck and Length Mean?
  • What Is A Furlong?
  • When Is A Race Declared Void?
  • False Starts In Horse Racing
  • What Are Official Ratings in Horse Racing?
  • Can You Run A Race With Only One Horse?
  • What Is Point To Point Racing
  • Best Day Of The Cheltenham Festival
  • How Much Does It Cost To Buy and Train a Racehorse?
  • Cheltenham Festival Ticket Types
  • How Much Does Racing Make From The Betting Levy?
  • Are There Less Horse Deaths In Racing Today?
  • Origins Of Jockey Silks In Horse Racing & Rules
  • Can A Jockey Remount A Horse?
  • What Happens If No Horse Wins A Race?
  • Why Do Horses Jump Fences?
  • How High and Far Can A Horse Jump?
  • Use Of The Whip In Horse Racing
  • What Are The Different Types Of Racehorses?
  • Who Sponsors Cheltenham Races
  • How Do Racehorse Owner Syndicates Work?
  • How Much Do Racehorses Weigh?
  • How Does Travelling Affect Racehorse Performance?
  • What PPE Do Jockeys Wear And Why?
  • Can Racehorses Overheat?
  • Benefits Of Owning Race Horses
  • What Is The Top Speed Of A Racehorse?
  • Do Racehorses Have Special Diets & Nutrition?
  • How Are Racehorses Transported & What Are The Rules
  • What Happened To All-Weather Jumps Racing?
  • What Was Tic Tac? The Sign Language For On-Course Bookmakers
  • The Road To Cheltenham
  • Retraining of Racehorses
  • What Happens To Retired Racehorses?
  • Horse Racing Mix-Ups
  • Youngest Jockeys In Horse Racing History
  • What Are Blinkers & Why Do Race Horses Wear Them?
  • How Long Do You Have To Claim A Winning Bet At A Racecourse?
  • Female Jockey Pioneers
  • Oldest Jockeys In Horse Racing History
  • Record Jockey Wins For Cheltenham Festival Races
  • Record Trainer Wins For Cheltenham Festival Races
  • Cheltenham Festival Races Record Horse Wins
  • Biggest Prize Money Races At The Cheltenham Festival
  • The Life Of A Racing Jockey
  • Races With The Most Fences At The Cheltenham Festival
  • How Often Do Mares' Win At The Cheltenham Festival
  • Average Winner Age Cheltenham Festival Races
  • Longest Races At The Cheltenham Festival
  • Cheltenham Festival's Newest Races
  • How Often Does the Favourite Win at the Cheltenham Festival?
  • Average Winner Odds Cheltenham Festival Races
  • Cheltenham Festival Stats & Trends
  • Veganism & Horse Racing
  • Horse Doping In Horse Racing
  • Most Feared Fences In Horse Racing
  • Jockey Injuries
  • How To Become A Jockey
  • Horse Injuries
  • What Is Going In Horse Racing
  • Richest Races In Horse Racing
  • What Is The Starting Price In Racing
  • When Is The Best Time To Bet Ante-Post
  • Impact Of Wetter Winters On UK Jump Racing
  • How Long Do Racehorses Live For?
  • How Much Do Jockeys Weigh?
  • Rules For Naming Race Horses
  • What Is A Dead Heat In Horse Racing?
  • Who Would Win A Race Between A Horse And A Dog?
  • What Makes A Good Jump Stayer?
  • What Is A Stewards Enquiry?
  • Why Are Horses Disqualified and Who Decides?
  • Courses At Cheltenham: Old, New and Cross Country
  • How Are Jump Horses Trained Differently To Flat Horses?
  • Longest Odds Winners In Horse Racing History
  • How Much Money Is Bet At Cheltenham?
  • How Much Is Cheltenham Worth To The Economy?
  • Top 5 Cheltenham Festival Owners
  • Accessibility At Cheltenham The Cheltenham Festival
  • Cheltenham Festival's Oldest Race Still Running
  • Biggest Female Trainers
  • Celebrity Race Horse Owners
  • Can Jockeys, Trainers & Owners Bet?
  • British vs Irish Trainers And Stables At Cheltenham
  • Things To Do & Places To Visit In Cheltenham
  • The Royal Family And The Cheltenham Festival
  • How Much Does It Cost To Be An On-Course Bookmaker?
  • How Much Money Do Race Horse Owners Make?
  • How Much Money Do Trainers Make?
  • Cheltenham Race Types
  • Cheltenham Hotels & Cheltenham Festival Accommodation
  • Top 5 Cheltenham Festival Trainers
  • Top 5 Cheltenham Festival Jockeys
  • Top 10 Cheltenham Festival Horses
  • How Much Money Do Jockeys Make?
  • Richest Jockeys In Horse Racing History
  • Getting To Cheltenham Racecourse
  • Cheltenham Festival vs Grand National, Which Is Better?
  • Cheltenham Racecourse History
  • Why Is The Cheltenham Festival So Big?
  • Cheltenham Festival History
  • The Prestbury Cup
  • Cheltenham Festival Quiz
  • Cheltenham Festival Top Trainer
  • Cheltenham Festival Top Jockey
  • Cheltenham Racecourse During The War
  • Ante-Post Betting - Risk vs Reward
  • Jump Racing Distances
  • How to Read a Race Card
  • How To Bet On Horse Racing
  • Disqualification, Non-Runners and Rule 4
  • Age, Sex and Weight in Horse Racing
  • History And About National Hunt Racing
  • A-Z Glossary Of Horse Racing Terms
  • Horse Racing News, Statistics & Blogs
  • Live Streaming of Horse Racing
  • Live Betting In Play On Horse Racing
  • Cash Out And Partial Cash Out On Horse Racing
  • Grades and Classes In National Hunt Jump Racing

Offers

  • Acca Offers For Horse Racing
  • Extra Places Each-Way & Enhanced Each Way Terms Cheltenham Festival 2023
  • Horse Racing Loyalty Free Bet Clubs
  • Horse Racing Money Back
  • Best Odds Guaranteed For The Cheltenham Festival
  • Tote and Totepool Betting
  • Lucky Bets and Bonuses For Horse Racing
  • Non-Runner No Bet
  • Free Bets And Bonuses For Winners
  • Best Odds Guaranteed For Horse Racing
  • Faller & Fail To Finish Insurance For Horse Racing

Copyright © 2023 CheltenhamBettingOffers.com | 18+ Gamble Aware | Privacy & Cookie Policy