2024 National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Tips, Start Runners & Trends

National Hunt Chase Overview

The National Hunt Chase is a grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase for novice chasers to gain some precious experience at the Cheltenham Festival.

This meeting is steeped in history with 2024 being its 164th anniversary. The National Hunt Chase began in 1860, making it the second oldest still running race at Cheltenham, just after the Grand Annual Chase which started in 1834.

When is the National Hunt Chase?

The National Hunt Chase takes place Tuesday 12 March 2024 at 17:30, the final race on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival.

What is the distance?

The race is contested over 3 miles and 5 furlongs on the old course with 23 fences to be jumped. This race is open to amateur riders and horses aged 5 years and up.

The race previously was much more challenging. Staged over 4 miles and 1 furlong with 25 fences to be jumped, some changes were made in the 2020 renewal by the British Horse Racing Authority for improving welfare standards.

2024 National Hunt Chase Tips

Let’s take a look at our Cheltenham odds and deduce who could be in with a chance of winning.

The Favourites

• • Embassy Gardens – priced at 2/1* and trained by Willie Mullins. This 8 year old’s odds have recently shortened as it won at the Punchestown racecourse in late December and won at Naas end of January. It previously pulled up at last year’s Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle.

• • Corbetts Cross – priced at 4/1* and trained by Emmet Mullins. This 7 year old has bagged some decent wins recently but did fall in their last meeting.

• • Stay Away Fay – priced at 4/1* and trained by Paul Nicholls.

The Outsiders

• • Brave Kingdom – This Paul Nicholls’ trained 8 year old has seen some speculation as its odds have recently shortened from 20/1 to 16/1 to 14/1*. It has won 5 out of a total 7 races.

• • Apple Away – priced at 12/1*, shortened from 14/1. Trained by Lucinda Russell this horse has been on form over the past season.

National Hunt Chase Previous Winners

National Hunt Chase Trends

Whilst the race is open to 5 year olds, the last 5 year old to win the National Hunt Chase was in 1978. The average age of winners over the last 20 years.

The horse with the longest odds to win was in 2005 when Another Rum shocked spectators and punters alike at a starting price of 40/1.

National Hunt Chase Top Trainers

Jonjo O’Neill leads the race with a total of 6 wins, followed by Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott with 4 wins each and Ferdy Murphy with 2 wins.

National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup Top Jockeys

The leading jockey for the National Hunt Chase is Patrick Mullins with 4 wins, Jamie Codd with 3 wins and Jack Kennedy with 1 win.

How to bet on the Cheltenham Festival?

We have a whole host of Cheltenham Festival odds at your disposal. We offer odds on all 28 races including the Cheltenham Gold Cup and we have our Cheltenham specials where you can bet on hotshot jockeys, the nationality of winners, the number of favourites to win over the course of the day and more.

We’re also offering Non Runner No Bet on all races, so if the horse you pick doesn’t run for any reason, we’ll refund your wager.

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*All odds are correct at time of writing and are subject to change.

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