The trends of each race can be really useful to follow when looking find winners at the Cheltenham Festival on your horse racing betting sites, especially in tricky handicap chases. So we've taken a look at the most important TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase trends from the last 10 years for you, and used them to find you the best horses to follow for the 2025 Festival Plate and maybe use any Cheltenham free bets on.

2025 TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase Trends

The last 10 winners:

• Were not top weight
• Had won at least one chase but no more than five
• Were all rated 140 or higher. None were rated higher than 149.
• Had won that season
• Had run at least three times that season
• Finished first or second in at least one of their last three races (the same is true of 39 of the 40 horses that finished 1st-4th in the last 10 runnings)

Nine of the last 10 winners:

• Had won no more than three handicap chases (exception Siruh Du Lac)
• Were aged between 6-10 (Coole Cody was 11)
• Had won over hurdles (Siruh Du Lac)
• Had at least one win over 19-21 furlongs (Road To Respect)

Eight of the last 10 winners:

• Were carrying 11st 4lb or less
• Last ran no more than 70 days ago

Key Trials from the Last 10 Years

With Cheltenham's handicaps, it's often better to look down the field in the popular trials, rather than at the winner, but we've given you the winners below as a guide.

Any Grade 3 handicap chase at Cheltenham run over 2m4f-2m5f is a great trial for this race, here are some of the key examples:

• The 2019 winner Siruh Du Lac won what is now the Grade 3 Trophy Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in late January before Festival Plate success. Coole Cody also ran in this in 2022 but finished a distant seventh. The 2025 edition was won by Moon D'Orange.
• The Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in November has also proven a useful trial, with several placed finishers in the past 10 years. These include winners Splash Of Ginge (2nd, 2017), Happy Diva (2nd, 2019) and Coole Cody (4th, 2020). Il Ridoto won this in 2024.
• Another to watch is the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup in December with two winners (Salut Flo 13th, Coole Cody 1st) and several placed finishers in the past 10 years. Fugitif won this in 2023 and was second in the 2023 Festival Plate, too.
• Oldgrangewood won the New Year's Day Handicap Chase at Cheltenham and finished fourth at the next Festival Plate, whilst Shakem Up'Arry won this trial in 2024 and then went on to win at the Festival. Springwell Bay was the winner of this year's Handicap Chase.

Trainer Trends

• Nicky Henderson has won this race four times in his career and leads the way among those still operating. However, the last of those came in 2006.
• David Pipe has won it three times since 2010, which leaves him just one shy of his father Martin's record. He has also saddled four placed horses, most recently Eamon An Cnoic who was fourth in 2019, but his last win was 11 years ago.
• A different trainer has won the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase in each of the last 12 editions.

Jockey Trends

• No jockey currently riding has won the race more than once.

How Did the Trends Do Last Year?

Winner Shakem Up'Arry generally fit the trends as he had won three chases in his career and was rated 143, which was a joint-career high at that point.

He became the sixth horse in as many years with winning Cheltenham form to land the event, and was coming off a win 73 days earlier in the New Year's Day Handicap Chase on the same course.

The one main negative was that he was 10 years old but now the last three winners of the Festival Plate have been aged 10 or 11, so perhaps age is less of an issue despite every winner from 2012 to 2021 being aged between six and nine.

The Harry Redknapp-owned horse was also carrying 11st 5lb, which is the most weight since 66/1 outsider Mister Goldrick romped home by 13 lengths back in 2008.

Who Fits The Trends Best In 2025?

As this race is typically won by an outsider, with only three favourites from the last 10 years emerging victorious, there are a few horses that could be considered.

Masaccio is one of the main horses that fits the bill. The eight-year-old is a chase winner thanks to victory at Newbury over 2m4f in November and followed that up with a second place before going on to record two thirds in his most recent outings. He will be carrying 11st 1lb and has an official rating of 144, both of which are perfect for another trends win.

Early betting favourite Jagwar has won three times this season, all of which were handicap chases, and has previously won over hurdles. The six-year-old will also be carrying just 10st 10lb, but his OR of 139 means he will have to buck the trend of being a 140+ winner.

Springwell Bay is another strong option after his win last time out in the New Year's Day Handicap Chase at Cheltenham, but his weight of 11st 11lb and an OR of 154 are both potentially prohibitive.