59 horses have been given entries for the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase, now the penultimate race on the Thursday of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. The contest saw a celebrity winner in 2024 as Shakem Up’arry won for former football manager Harry Redknapp. The now 11-year-old could defend that title too, as he is among this season’s entries for Ben Pauling.
The last three winners have been aged ten and above, so the veterans have firmly held their own against younger, less exposed types in recent seasons. Nevertheless, it is the youngsters who hold sway in the ante-post markets with the JP McManus-owned Jagwar a likeable and progressive type, who has the option of this contest and the new Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase earlier on the same card. Last year’s runner-up Crebilly gets a second bite at the cherry for the same owners and trainers the O’Neills.
Further novices who could run before they have hit their ceiling are last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle third Firefox, who has already proven consistent over fences. Springwell Bay was hugely impressive over course and distance last time out too and seems to excel over this trip.
Apart from Firefox, the aforementioned are all in British trainers’ hands, with the home team having won four of the last six renewals. Gordon Elliott looks to head the visitors’ attempts to wrestle the prize away though with Sa Fureur, American Mike and What’s Up Darling all in the reckoning too.
Willie Mullins has never won a handicap chase at the Cheltenham Festival. However, the 103-time Festival winner may be able to rely on former Grade 1 winner Gentleman De Mee if early entries are to go by. Gavin Cromwell and Henry De Bromhead are other big name Irish handlers to have put forward contenders, with The Other Mozzie and The Short Go respectively.
2025 TrustATrader Plate Handicap Entries
| Number | Horse | Trainer |
| 1 | American Mike | Gordon Elliott |
| 2 | An Peann Dearg | Paul Nolan |
| 3 | Colonel Harry | Jamie Snowden |
| 4 | Conflated | Gordon Elliott |
| 5 | Crebilly | Jonjo & A J O’Neill |
| 6 | Dee Capo | Gordon Elliott |
| 7 | Denmat | Venetia Williams |
| 8 | Es Perfecto | Alan King |
| 9 | Firefox | Gordon Elliott |
| 10 | Fugitif | Richard Hobson |
| 11 | Galop De Chasse | Venetia Williams |
| 12 | Gemirande | Venetia Williams |
| 13 | Gentleman De Mee | Willie Mullins |
| 14 | Ginny’s Destiny | Paul Nicholls |
| 15 | Grandeur d’Ame | Alan King |
| 16 | Guard Your Dreams | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 17 | Ha d’Or | Willie Mullins |
| 18 | Il Ridoto | Paul Nicholls |
| 19 | Individualiste | Gavin Cromwell |
| 20 | Issar d’Airy | Gary & Josh Moore |
| 21 | Jagwar | Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero |
| 22 | Jazzy Matty | Cian Collins |
| 23 | Jordans | Joseph O’Brien |
| 24 | Kotmask | Gary & Josh Moore |
| 25 | La Malmason | Gavin Cromwell |
| 26 | Law Ella | Gavin Cromwell |
| 27 | Life In The Park | Henry De Bromhead |
| 28 | Light N Strike | Emma Lavelle |
| 29 | Lord Of Thunder | Joe Tizzard |
| 30 | Lounge Lizard | Henry Daly |
| 31 | Marble Sands | David Killahena & Graeme McPherson |
| 32 | Mars Harper | Gordon Elliott |
| 33 | Masaccio | Alan King |
| 34 | Midnight It Is | Gavin Cromwell |
| 35 | Midnight River | Dan Skelton |
| 36 | Moon D’Orange | John McConnell |
| 37 | Panic Attack | Dan Skelton |
| 38 | Path d’Oroux | Gavin Cromwell |
| 39 | Personal Ambition | Ben Pauling |
| 40 | Pinkerton | Noel Meade |
| 41 | Riaan | Gordon Elliott |
| 42 | Sa Fureur | Gordon Elliott |
| 43 | San Salvador | Joseph O’Brien |
| 44 | Seddon | John McConnell |
| 45 | Shakem Up’arry | Ben Pauling |
| 46 | Shantreusse | Henry De Bromhead |
| 47 | So Scottish | Emmet Mullins |
| 48 | Springwell Bay | Jonjo & A J O’Neill |
| 49 | Straw Fan Jack | Sheila Lewis |
| 50 | Tahmuras | Paul Nicholls |
| 51 | Theatre Man | Richard Bandey |
| 52 | Thecompanysergeant | Gavin Cromwell |
| 53 | The Other Mozzie | Gavin Cromwell |
| 54 | The Short Go | Henry De Bromhead |
| 55 | Third Time Lucki | Fergal O’Brien |
| 56 | Torn And Frayed | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
| 57 | Western Zephyr | Charlie Longsdon |
| 58 | What’s Up Darling | Gordon Elliott |
| 59 | Zanahiyr | Gordon Elliott |