Horse Racing stats man, Andy has contributed to OLBG for 18 years - An Ipswich fan and F1 fanatic, he also contributes EFL football and Motor Sport opinion.
2025 Festival Plate Preview
A handicap chase over 2m4½f on the new course at the Cheltenham racecourse, formerly known as the Mildmay of Flete for many years and is currently sponsored by TrustATrader, this is a race where the Martin/David Pipe yard had an exceptional record, scoring seven victories between 1997 and 2014.
It is also worth noting that Venetia Williams has had three wins since 2007 so there are two trainers to note in this race, both had placed runners in 2016 and David Pipe also had the runner-up in 2015.
Read on below for our preview of the race in greater detail with previous Festival Plate trends and stats to help you find the winner of the TrustATrader Plate. Before placing your bets on the festival plate, head to the Cheltenham Offers page to see which bookie you should place your bet with.
Festival Plate Information:
Our dedicated Cheltenham tips page will not only bring you predictions from the OLBG racing tipsters for the upcoming card that includes the Festival Plate but will also have predictions for each meeting at Cheltenham throughout the season so be sure to head over there. We cover every race at the Cheltenham Festival and below you can find links to all of the races for each of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday.
How competitive is the Festival Plate market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2013 when the race had an over-round of 116%. The race in 2020 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 137%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the Festival Plate, the over-round has been 130%, which means the bookie expects to pay out £100 for every £130 which is bet.
Festival Plate Trends:
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? From the past 20 if you had followed the winner of the Festival Plate next time out then you would have backed a total of 3 winners. Backing all 18 runners who have been out since to win at SP next time out, would have returned an LSP of +7.00. Whilst we wait for the 2025 Festival Plate remember you can get daily racing predictions from the expert tipsters on the racing predictions page.
The runner that holds the record over the past 20 renewals for the slowest time in the race was set in the 2024 renewal when Shakem UpArry from Ben Pauling under the guidance of Ben Jones, won in a time of 5:29.11, whilst at the other end of the spectrum, Ballynagour, trained by David Pipe and ridden by Tom Scudamore set the quickest time of 4:59.34 in the 2014 renewal.
These are the top three quickest-run Festival Plate over the last 20 renewals:
- Ballynagour (4:59.34) in 2014
- Non So (5:05.20) in 2006
- Holmwood Legend (5:08.17) in 2011
What the expert says...
Festival Plate Past Winners
Here are the Festival Plate past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won along with the age & weight of the horse. The trainer of the horse at the time of winning the Festival Plate as well as the jockey is also displayed along with the starting price the horse was sent off.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 5:29.11 | Shakem UpArry (IRE) 10yo 11-5 8/1 | Ben Jones Ben Pauling (GB) |
| 2023 5:16.60 | Seddon (IRE) 10yo 10-9 20/1 | Ben Harvey (5lbs) John C McConnell (IRE) |
| 2022 5:13.85 | Coole Cody (IRE) 11yo 11-2 22/1 | Adam Wedge Evan Williams (GB) |
| 2021 5:18.28 | The Shunter (IRE) 8yo 10-5 9/4F | Jordan Gainford (7lbs) Emmet Mullins (IRE) |
| 2020 5:26.08 | Simply The Betts (IRE) 7yo 11-4 100/30F | Gavin Sheehan Harry Whittington (GB) |
| 2019 5:14.29 | Siruh Du Lac (FR) 6yo 10-8 9/2 | Lizzie Kelly (3lbs) Nick Williams (GB) |
| 2018 5:28.20 | The Storyteller (IRE) 7yo 11-4 5/1F | Davy Russell Gordon Elliott (IRE) |
| 2017 5:08.90 | Road To Respect (IRE) 6yo 10-13 14/1 | B J Cooper Noel Meade (IRE) |
| 2016 5:13.10 | Empire Of Dirt (IRE) 9yo 10-11 16/1 | B J Cooper C A Murphy (IRE) |
| 2015 5:12.00 | Darna (GB) 9yo 10-11 33/1 | David Bass Kim Bailey (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the Festival Plate have been based:
- GB: 15 winners with an additional 50 placings from 360 runners
- IRE: 5 winners with an additional 7 placings from 73 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 2 placings from 8 runners
Festival Plate Trainer Statistics
There are two leading trainers in the Festival Plate over the last 20 renewals with both Venetia Williams and David Pipe who have both won the race three times. Venetia Williams winners have been with Idole First (2007), Something Wells (2009) and Carrickboy (2013). David Pipe winners have been with Great Endeavour (2010), Salut Flo (2012) and Ballynagour (2014). The only other trainer to have recorded multiple wins in the Festival Plate is Nicky Henderson (2 wins). Multiple trainers have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Festival Plate, Paul Nicholls (0-27), Jonjo O'Neill (0-17), Philip Hobbs (0-17), Nigel Twiston-Davies (0-17), Alan King (0-14) and W P Mullins (0-12) have all failed to produce a single winner despite sending multiple runners to the race.
Here are some of the top Festival Plate trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venetia Williams | 28-3-7 | +70.00 | +49.57 |
| David Pipe | 27-3-7 | +10.50 | +5.38 |
| Nicky Henderson | 28-2-6 | +13.00 | +10.38 |
| Gordon Elliott | 15-1-3 | -9.00 | +6.32 |
| Evan Williams | 7-1-4 | +16.00 | +14.69 |
| Sue Smith | 5-1-2 | +62.00 | +41.88 |
| Kim Bailey | 5-1-1 | +29.00 | +16.63 |
| John C McConnell | 3-1-1 | +18.00 | +10.50 |
| Ben Pauling | 3-1-2 | +6.00 | +5.50 |
| C A Murphy | 2-1-2 | +15.00 | +13.63 |
Festival Plate Jockey Statistics
Two jockeys have not had the best of times over the last 20 renewals in the Festival Plate, Sam Twiston-Davies has ridden a total of 12 runners to the race without recording any wins whilst Paddy Brennan has ridden 10 without a winner.
Here are some of the top Festival Plate jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Wedge | 6-1-2 | +17.00 | +11.00 |
| David Bass | 4-1-1 | +30.00 | +17.63 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 4-1-1 | +0.33 | -0.92 |
| Jordan Gainford | 3-1-1 | +0.25 | -0.59 |
| Ben Harvey | 2-1-1 | +19.00 | +11.50 |
| Mr William Biddick | 1-1-1 | +33.00 | +20.63 |
| Danny Cook | 1-1-1 | +18.00 | +11.25 |
| Ben Jones | 1-1-1 | +8.00 | +5.00 |
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 12-0-2 | -12.00 | -8.50 |
| Paddy Brennan | 10-0-2 | -10.00 | -5.06 |
2025 Festival Plate Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): 4, F, 19, F, 2, 2, 3, 1, 8, 2, 2, (F, PU), PU, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, PU, F
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (79%) - Furthest Won 2m1½f - 2m6½f
- 20 / 20 (82%) - In a field of 8 - 19 (Debut)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - Ran over 2m - 2m5½f (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (86%) - No bigger than 20/1 (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - In a field of 4 - 17 (Last Win)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - Not in a G1/G3/LST (Debut)
- 19 / 20 (73%) - Placed within last 3 starts
- 19 / 20 (75%) - Won by at least 1¼l (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (83%) - Beaten no more -32l (LTO)
- 19 / 20 (88%) - No bigger than 66/1 (Career)
- 18 / 20 (73%) - Won within last 6 starts
- 18 / 20 (78%) - No bigger than 33/1
- 18 / 20 (84%) - Carried no more than 158lbs
- 18 / 20 (85%) - Held an OR of 134+ (Career)
- 18 / 20 (86%) - No more than +4yrs (Vs Min Age)
Remember to use the trends listed above along with the Cheltenham racing predictions to see if you can find the winner of the Festival Plate. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles like How to Find Winners - 101 Tips to Choose A Winning Horse Racing Bet.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over £6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, It is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the Festival Plate by adding a tip on the race here.
Festival Plate Trend Analysis
The trend factor which had produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +120.00 is when runners had 1 win in the past 180 days. The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 2 wins in the past year, when backing these the trend shows a record of 0-86.
The course which has produced the most winners of the Festival Plate is Cheltenham, there has been a total number of 7 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course which has produced the second most winners is Leopardstown, there has been a total number of 3 winners of this race who ran at Leopardstown last time out.
The race is open to both sexes with the Male runners having produced a total of 19 winners from a total of 429 runners whilst the Female runners have produced 1 winner from a total of 12 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the Festival Plate:
- Flemensfirth (2 Wins)
- Shantou (2 Wins)
- Stowaway (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the Festival Plate despite multiple attempts:
- Presenting (0 Wins from 15 runners)
- Kings Theatre (0 Wins from 12 runners)
- Oscar (0 Wins from 8 runners)
- Old Vic (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Anshan (0 Wins from 6 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Mister McGoldrick in 2008, winning for Sue Smith at odds of 66/1 under the guidance of Dominic Elsworth. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals there have been 4 winning favourites in the race. Whilst we wait for the 2025 Festival Plate remember you can get daily racing predictions from the top racing tipsters on the best racing tipsters page.
Schedule for Tuesday at the Cheltenham Festival
Prepare for the ROAR of the Cheltenham Festival on the opening day when the tape goes up for the Supreme Novices Hurdle, the feature on Tuesday is the Champion Hurdle.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:30 Cheltenham Supreme Novices Hurdle | Slade Steel (IRE) 6yo - 7/2 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 14:10 Cheltenham Arkle Challenge Trophy | Gaelic Warrior (GER) 6yo - 2/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:50 Cheltenham Ultima Handicap Chase | Chianti Classico (IRE) 7yo - 6/1 | Kim Bailey David Bass |
| 15:30 Cheltenham Champion Hurdle | State Man (FR) 7yo - 2/5 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:10 Cheltenham Close Brothers Mares Hurdle | Lossiemouth (FR) 5yo - 8/13 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:50 Cheltenham Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle | Lark In The Mornin (GER) 4yo - 9/1 | Joseph Patrick O'Brien J J Slevin |
| 17:30 Cheltenham National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup | Corbetts Cross (IRE) 7yo - 15/8 | Emmet Mullins Mr Derek O'Connor |
Schedule for Wednesday at the Cheltenham Festival
The dust has settled on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival and now on to day two. The feature on the second day is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. We also have the cross country scheduled on Wednesday, a race like Marmite, some love it and some don't!
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:30 Cheltenham Baring Bingham Novices Hurdle | Ballyburn (IRE) 6yo - 1/2 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:10 Cheltenham Brown Advisory Novices Chase | Fact To File (FR) 7yo - 8/13 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 14:50 Cheltenham Coral Cup | Langer Dan (IRE) 8yo - 13/2 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 15:30 Cheltenham Queen Mother Champion Chase | Captain Guinness (IRE) 9yo - 17/2 | Henry De Bromhead Rachael Blackmore |
| 16:10 Cheltenham Cross Country Chase | Delta Work (FR) 10yo - 11/10 | Gordon Elliott Keith Donoghue |
| 16:50 Cheltenham Johnny Henderson Grand Annual | Unexpected Party (FR) 9yo - 12/1 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 17:30 Cheltenham Champion Bumper | Jasmin De Vaux (FR) 5yo - 9/2 | W P Mullins Mr P W Mullins |
Schedule for Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival
Halfway through the festival and onto day three where the Stayers Hurdle is the feature race. A hurdle race to test the stamina and see how can last best up the Cheltenham hill.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:30 Cheltenham Turners Novices Chase | Grey Dawning (IRE) 7yo - 5/2 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 14:10 Cheltenham Pertemps Network Final | Monmiral (FR) 7yo - 25/1 | Paul Nicholls Harry Cobden |
| 14:50 Cheltenham Ryanair Chase | Protektorat (FR) 9yo - 17/2 | Dan Skelton Harry Skelton |
| 15:30 Cheltenham Stayers Hurdle | Teahupoo (FR) 7yo - 5/4 | Gordon Elliott Jack Kennedy |
| 16:10 Cheltenham Festival Plate | Shakem UpArry (IRE) 10yo - 8/1 | Ben Pauling Ben Jones |
| 16:50 Cheltenham Mares Novices Hurdle | Golden Ace (GB) 6yo - 10/1 | Jeremy Scott Lorcan Williams |
| 17:30 Cheltenham Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup | Inothewayurthinkin (IRE) 6yo - 13/8 | Gavin Cromwell Mr Derek O'Connor |
Schedule for Friday at the Cheltenham Festival
The final day of the festival and feature race that we have all been waiting for, the Cheltenham Gold Cup in which the Irish have been fairly dominant in recent years.
| Race | Last Winner | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 13:30 Cheltenham Triumph Hurdle | Majborough (FR) 4yo - 6/1 | W P Mullins Mark Walsh |
| 14:10 Cheltenham County Handicap Hurdle | Absurde (FR) 6yo - 12/1 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 14:50 Cheltenham Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle | Stellar Story (IRE) 7yo - 33/1 | Gordon Elliott Sam Ewing |
| 15:30 Cheltenham Cheltenham Gold Cup | Galopin Des Champs (FR) 8yo - 10/11 | W P Mullins Paul Townend |
| 16:10 Cheltenham Foxhunter Chase Challenge Cup | Sine Nomine (GB) 8yo - 8/1 | Fiona Needham Mr John Dawson |
| 16:50 Cheltenham Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase | Limerick Lace (IRE) 7yo - 3/1 | Gavin Cromwell Keith Donoghue |
| 17:30 Cheltenham Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle | Better Days Ahead (IRE) 6yo - 5/1 | Gordon Elliott Danny Gilligan |
Article Contributor Information
We are blessed with an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to creating and maintaining this Festival Plate Preview are at hand, Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team team looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Tipster Competition Manager
Andy Powell
Content Editor
