'Her profile is exactly what you need' - Four Cheltenham handicap dark horses

‘Her profile is exactly what you need’ – Four Cheltenham handicap dark horses

Liam Bramall

Published: February 20, 2025

Horse racing is in Liam's blood and his biggest passion is jumps racing. He can often be found at his favourite tracks; Chepstow and Cheltenham in the Autumn when the National Hunt action kicks off. In his own words: "I'm often referred to as a walking form book, a trait which comes in handy from time to time. My proudest tipping success to date was landing a whopping 682-1 accumulator at Epsom."

The entries for the Cheltenham Festival‘s handicap races were announced this week and there are now plenty more races to look at. We’re less than a month away now and with that in mind, we’ve selected four handicap dark horses that could be worth keeping an eye on. Take a look at our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.

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CLAIM

Henry’s Friend

Entries: Ultima Handicap Chase (20/1), Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (25/1)

It’s been a breakthrough season for trainer Ben Pauling and he clearly has a smart string of horses this season. Henry’s Friend won the Mandarin Handicap Chase in good style at Newbury last time out and a 7lb rise looks manageable. His overall form suggests the Ultima would be the best option but it’s easy to make the case that he could run well in either race.

Henry's Friend

Analysis

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Belfrina

Entries: Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (33/1)

David Pipe’s filly won a Listed contest at Doncaster when last seen and it’s good to see that the handicapper hasn’t overreacted. Her profile is exactly what you need in this race and the improving four-year-old would surely be a danger at a massive price if lining up.

Ndaawi

Entries: Coral Cup (50/1), County Hurdle (20/1), Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle (33/1)

Gordon Elliott’s five-year-old wasn’t beaten far in the Boodles (now the Fred Winter) here last season, finishing third by just over two lengths. He has since gone on to finish second in the Galway Hurdle and his Flat form indicates that Coral Cup could be a suitable task, despite the astronomical price.

Super Survivor

Entries: Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (33/1)

Jamie Snowden’s nine-year-old remains lightly raced for his age and has been particularly progressive over hurdles this season. He comfortably got the better of Shanagh Bob when winning a qualifier at Huntingdon last month and further improvement is impossible to rule out.

Super Survivor

Analysis

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