Ultima Handicap Chase Betting Preview – Cheltenham Day 1 Tips (2025)

The Ultima Handicap Chase is the third race on Day 1 of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival and 24 runners have been declared for one of the biggest horse racing betting heats of the season.

We’ve known the early entries for the Ultima Handicap Chase for some time now but decisions have been made and all eyes will be on Prestbury Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Here, we look at some of the leading players in the Cheltenham odds for this year’s race, with an Ultima Handicap Chase selection ahead of the 2025 renewal.

Staying is the name of the game in the Ultima Handicap – a race that is often regarded as a decent barometer for the Grand National.

One such horse that has Cheltenham Festival and Aintree inspirations is the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained BROADWAY BOY.

A three-time winner at Prestbury Park last season, Nigel Twiston-Davies’ seven-year-old returned to his beloved local track as the heavy favourite on New Year’s Day but failed to run any sort of a race.

Post-race examinations revealed that something had caused the underwhelming performance, and the gelding is expected to bounce back big time in this 3m1f marathon.

Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies spoke confidently about his chance once the weights were revealed, so he’s definitely a horse to have on your shortlist.

Shirocco-gelding Henry’s Friend is an interesting contender from the Ben Pauling yard.

A decisive winner of the Mandarin Handicap Chase at Newbury, he completed that task nicely after finishing fifth in the Coral Gold Cup at the same venue.

After Newbury, Pauling indicated that the Ultima was the obvious target for the eight-year-old. He has tactical speed and is able to hold a position very well, so ticks plenty of the boxes a racehorse needs to win a race of this nature.

Joe Tizzard’s The Changing Man has attracted plenty of supporting in recent weeks and is likely to go off the favourite on the day.

His season got off to an inauspicious start when he fell in the Badger Beer Chase at Wincanton, but he bounced right back running three consecutive second placed finishes in Premier Handicaps over three miles. The Changing Man then continued the strong Tizzard record in the 3m Grade 2 Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase, with an emphatic victory.

Returning back to handicap company at Cheltenham, you would like to think that the eight-year-old would be somewhere on the premises in the closing stages of this 3m1f stamina test.

Considering what he has already achieved for a young horse this season, the Venetia Williams-trained Victtorino looks a tad overpriced in the betting.

The seven-year-old continued his love affair with Ascot when courageously getting the verdict in a bob of the heads finish to the Swinley Handicap Chase.

Victtorino was pushed all the way up the run-in by top-weight Threeunderthrufive, but it was the relative new kid on the block that got the verdict.

Anything trainer Lucinda Russell sends to the Ultima has to be given the once over, and her Myretown will be a popular pick amongst punters.

He was hugely impressive when opening his account at the second attempt at Dromahane at the end of April, before scoring under rules this season at Wetherby and Kelso.

By Dylan Thomas, a sire close to the hearts of the Russell stable following the exploits of Ahoy Senor and the promising Douglas Talking, the Ultima could well be the making of this horse.

SELECTION: BROADWAY BOY