Festival Plate Odds, Tips, Free Bets & Betting Offers
Craig Jones
Better known by its former title, the Mildmay of Flete Challenge Cup, this two-mile four-and-a-half-furlong race is a valuable handicap chase with £120,000 prize money.
The Festival Plate is always a hotly contested race, with some big-priced winners in recent years, showing the kind of test that punters face here trying to find the winner.
Read on for Festival Plate betting odds, tips, and Cheltenham free bets for the 2025 race.
| Race Details | |
|---|---|
| When: | Thursday, March 13th - 4:40pm |
| Winner’s Prize: | £67,524 |
| Distance: | Two-miles & four-furlongs |
| Race Type: | Grade 3 Chase |
| Age: | 5-Years+ |
| Course: | New Course |
| Weights: | Handicap |
| Where to Watch? | ITV Racing, Racing TV, Bookmaker Streams |
Festival Plate Betting Offers & Free Bets
This race comes towards the end of day three at the Cheltenham Festival and below we've got some great free bets that are still available to use at the meeting.
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Festival Plate Betting Odds
As we stand now, just three runners are single figures with betting sites as the rest are all available at double figures, or more, such is the competitive nature of this field.
Jagwar leads the way, Springwell Bay is the second favourite, and both have been talked up quite a lot over the past week or so at various preview evenings.
Festival Plate Tips
A tough puzzle for punters to solve, but the Festival Plate is in our Cheltenham day 3 tips with Paddy Brennan giving us an each way selection.
Paddy Brennan - Masaccio (Each-Way)
Jagwar has a great chance, but the horse I like in this is MASACCIO (Each-Way) for Alan King and Tom Cannon.
He's got form on the track behind Jagwar on Trials Day, and I think on slightly better ground in a fast run race he looks overpriced,
This has been a plan for a while, and he's got a hell of an engine, and I think it really suits him when he has a break between his races.
He'll be fresh and well and has a big chance.
What Happened Last Year?
In 2024, Shakem Up'Arry was the winner of the plate for trainer Ben Pauling, beating a very competitive field to grab a festival win.
Festival Plate Key Stats
- Just five of the last 13 winners of this race have been from Ireland
- 11 of the last 12 winners had at least one win over hurdles
- 10 of the last 12 winners had at least three runs that season
Previous Winners of the Festival Plate
Check out the last five winners of the Festival Plate in the table below.
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Shakem Up'Arry |
| 2023 | Seddon |
| 2022 | Coole Cody |
| 2021 | The Shunter |
| 2020 | Simply The Betts |
FAQs
When is the Festival Plate?
The Festival Plate is the sixth race on Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival - this year, on Thursday, March 13th.
What distance is the Festival Plate run over?
The Festival Plate is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs, with 17 fences jumped.
Who is the most successful trainer in the Festival Plate?
The most successful trainer of current times is Nicky Henderson, who has trained the winner of the Festival Plate on four occasions.
More Cheltenham Tips
Check out our tips for all the other Cheltenham Day 3 races:
Latest Betting Offers
Check the latest free bets and betting offers from the best betting sites in the UK at Freebets.com.
