Cheltenham Festival: National Hunt Handicap Chase Betting Tips

While the first day of the Cheltenham Festival contains four Grade 1s, including the Champion Hurdle and two of the biggest novice events of the season in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle and the Arkle, the Ultima deserves its due as one of the hottest handicap chases of the season.

Last year's winner Corach Rambler, who was winning for a second year in succession, went on to take the Grand National and second-placed Fastorslow is going for the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday.

This year's winner has a lot to live up to, but the 23-strong field contains a lot of promise. Here are three horses to consider.

Selection: Weveallbeencaught @ 11/2

Next Best: The Goffer @ 6/1

Outsider to note: Gevrey @ 40/1

Selection: Weveallbeencaught @ 11/2

The Ultima is a tough race. You only have to look at last year's renewal when Monbeg Genius ran the race of his life but finished third behind the subsequent Grand National winner and a horse who won the Punchestown Gold Cup on their next start.

Meticulous campaigning is the way to win this race and we know some of the trainers associated with that trait. Gordon Elliott is one, for all that he has never won this race. Kim Bailey is another, and his two runners in this year's race - Chianti Classico and Trelawne - are prominent in the betting.

It is a stretch to include Nigel Twiston-Davies in that group. He has won this race once, with Tipping Tim in 1992, but he is a trainer known for campaigning his horses with Cheltenham in mind and he has taken that to extremes with Weveallbeencaught.

You need three runs over fences to be eligible for Premier handicaps and Weveallbeencaught meets that criterion exactly. He has still amassed plenty of relevant experience, with all three of his chase runs coming at Cheltenham. He was third behind Flooring Porter and stablemate Broadway Boy in October, and second to the latter at the November meeting. Both horses are running in Grade 1s this week.

Weveallbeencaught went off favourite at the December meeting but flopped and reportedly had an issue. He has been saved for the Cheltenham Festival since and sneaks in here at the bottom of the weights. He has more talent than his handicap mark implies and can prove it on the biggest stage.

Next best: The Goffer @ 6/1

Returning to last year's famous renewal, Corach Rambler and Fastorslow are now miles higher in the weights than they were then - 13 and 20lb, for what it matters as neither are handicappers anymore.

Even third-placed Monbeg Genius, who is back again, has gone up 5lb. In spite of that, fourth-placed The Goffer lines up on a lower mark than he did 12 months ago.

Pause last year's race on the final turn and The Goffer looks exceptionally handicapped. He came there tanking under Davy Russell but tired up the run-in.

To what extent that was him paying for a big move or whether it was his stamina giving way, we still do not know for sure. He was subsequently fourth in the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown over an even longer trip, though, so it is more likely than not he will see out even a stiff 3m1f.

The Goffer has not been seen since the autumn, which in some cases might have been cause for worry. But Gordon Elliott has a history of giving his Cheltenham hopes the whole of the winter off, so it is of little concern now.

The Goffer is also the choice of Jack Kennedy, who could have ridden any of Elliott's other three runners if his mount was thought anything less than 100 per cent fit. He is surely the likeliest victor of the Elliott contingent.

Outsider to note: Gevrey @ 40/1

The Goffer may not be the best value of Elliott's quartet, though. That honour goes to Gevrey, who has the profile of a horse that should be much shorter than those of a complete outsider.

A big part of the reason Gevrey is such a big price is because he has pulled up on both of his last two starts. However, those have been in hot handicaps and the likelihood is that he is getting ready for the spring again.

He was fourth in the Plate at this meeting last year, making a big move from absolutely nowhere. He followed up with a narrow second to I Am Maximus, currently favourite for this year's Grand National at Aintree, in the Irish National.

It is not as though Gevrey has been AWOL this season, either. He won the Munster National in October, scooting away after the last. While he has run since then and The Goffer has not, both have likely been equally campaigned with an eye on big prizes this spring. Gevrey does not deserve to be several times the price.