Wednesday 11th March 16:40
Below are our tips for the Grand Annual Chase taking place at 16:40 on Wednesday 11th March at the Cheltenham Festival. Our tips are provided by our expert horse racing analysts Will Smith & David Young. Be sure to take a look at our other Cheltenham betting tips for more races.
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| Bookie | Selection | Best Odds | Market | Bet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Vanderpoel | 8/1 | EW 5 Places Grand Annual Chase |
Place Bet |
 |
Jazzy Matty | 15/2 | EW 5 Places Grand Annual Chase |
Place Bet |
 |
Be Aware | 9/2 | Win Grand Annual Chase |
Place Bet |
|
Inthepocket | 9/1 | Win Grand Annual Chase |
Place Bet |
Date of Tips: 10/03/2026
Disclaimer The odds for these selections were correct at the time of publishing (18:01 10/03/2026) but may have changed since. Please check the latest price before placing your bet.
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Yet another fiendishly competitive contest to try and pick through in the closing handicap of Day 2, the Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase at 4.40 at Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Be Aware will be good enough for many given Dan Skelton’s record with horses aimed at Festival handicaps, but I’m not actually sure he has earmarked him for this totally. It is more just the way the cards have fallen, and he doesn’t win as many races as his supposed ability suggests he maybe should.
Winning has been a nice habit of the two horses I’m going to recommend backing. Neither is a big price, but one has been in rampant form and could be a genuine Graded horse in the making (if not already made) and the other has won at the last two Cheltenham Festivals, including an impressive win in this race last year.
Vanderpoel at 8/1 each-way with BetVictor or Coral for 5 places is the first one and has been sharply progressive and building up experience in well-run open handicaps at the same time. There might be a small doubt about the suitability of the hustle and bustle of a big field, but in truth he has never really been tested by that so may actually relish it.
What is certain is that the way he jumped and travelled well within himself early at Ascot and Sandown Park the last twice will stand him in decent stead in the early cavalry charge over the first two fences here.
Jazzy Matty at 15/2 each-way with Betway for 5 places is the other bet in the race, and it has clearly all been about this day again, and why not. He races off a higher mark than last year, but that doesn’t matter one bit as he clearly relishes the demands of the Cheltenham Festival, and his excellent handler knows how to get him here in tip-top form. That has included two hurdle starts and a wind operation of late, and back from the same number of days’ break (52) as leading into last year’s win, a reproduction of that performance makes him the one to beat.
BE AWARE picked up 7k for that Handicap win on chasing debut but he’s amassed over 55k in graded prize money from his three runs since for finishing second in each of those. He’s clearly still a horse who bumps into one far too often to be true. He’s now a horse who won on hurdle debut and didn’t win in that sphere again, he’s won on chase debut and he’s yet to follow up in this sphere so that of course tempers enthusiasm. But not enough to stop him making the Top 5 and given his three RPR’s in those graded defeats have all been in the 150’s it makes his 11lbs increase from the start of the season look manageable off of 147 and there is certainly more positive talk from Harry Skelton this year about him going into The Festival than there was 12 months ago.
His two spring runs last season are a slight concern, but prior to that he ran three times in double figure sized field and placed in each of them. He can lay up in this race and with the two fences up the home straight I can see him hopefully travelling into the last and then it’s hoping he can stay true to the line, but you’d fancy if anyone can deliver him in that manner it’s Harry Skelton who so very nearly got it right on another grey, Unexpected party for his brother last year.
I also think I can build enough of a case for INTHEPOCKET at the prices, despite his fall in the market in recent weeks. He was eye-catching in defeat last time out when showing much more of his old self off top weight in a competitive handicap and while he’s hasn’t progressed on figures from his impressive start over fences as a novice, he’s showing signs that he’s ready to turn that corner.
BE AWARE – 1 STAR WIN @ 9/2
INTHEPOCKET – 0.5 STAR WIN @ 9/1
The Grand Annual Chase is an often unpredictable race. In recent years, we’ve had winners priced at 14/1, 22/1, 28/1, and even 66/1 back in 2019 when Kielan Woods rode Croco Bay to victory. It can be a great race to bet on due to the tempting prices and an even better race to use up some of your free bets on.
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| Selection | Odds |
|---|---|
| Be Aware | 8/1 |
| Ryan's Rocket | 10/1 |
| Vanderpoel | 10/1 |
| Inthepocket | 11/1 |
| Jazzy Matty | 14/1 |
| Ballysax Hank | 14/1 |
| Addragoole | 20/1 |
| Jasko Des Dames | 20/1 |
| Release The Beast | 20/1 |
| Highlands Legacy | 20/1 |
| Sans Bruit | 20/1 |
| Touch Me Not | 25/1 |
| Rubaud | 25/1 |
| Western Diego | 25/1 |
| Jour D'Evasion | 25/1 |
| Break My Soul | 25/1 |
| Edwardstone | 25/1 |
| Personal Ambition | 25/1 |
| Boothill | 28/1 |
| Golden Joy | 28/1 |
| Calico | 33/1 |
| Special Cadeau | 33/1 |
| King Of Kingsfield | 33/1 |
| Relieved Of Duties | 33/1 |
| Javert Allen | 33/1 |
| Escapeandevade | 33/1 |
| Petit Tonnerre | 33/1 |
| The Other Mozzie | 50/1 |
| Martator | 50/1 |
| Shakeyatailfeather | 50/1 |
| Classic Maestro | 100/1 |
| Dr T J Eckleburg | 100/1 |
| Grand Annual Chase | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Distance | Type |
| Wed 11/03/2026 | 16:40 | 2m 62y | Chase |
Run on day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival on the Old course, the Grand Annual Handicap Chase is a Grade 3 race that covers a distance of 2 miles and 62 yards. The race features 14 fences to be jumped and is open to horses aged five years or older.
The Grand Annual Chase is one of the most fiercely competitive races of the Cheltenham Festival and has produced some great winners such as Edredon Bleu, St. Pirran, and Sizing Europe.
The Grand Annual is one of the fastest and most tactical handicap chases at the Festival, and it always attracts strong interest from punters looking for value in a competitive two-mile field. Our Grand Annual Chase tips for Cheltenham 2026 are provided by respected racing analysts Will Smith and Dave Young who will be sharing both early selections and race-day picks. When backing any of our ante-post selections, be sure to pay a visit to our Cheltenham non-runner no bet page to minimise the risk should your selection not end up running.
You may also find our Grand Annual Chase tips featured in Will Smith’s Lucky 15 which will be available on each day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival. There should be plenty of extra places available on Cheltenham races from many of the top bookies, which can add value to your bet.
The Grand Annual has strongly favoured horses aged six to nine, with fifteen of the last seventeen winners fitting that profile. Most winners are relatively lightly raced over fences, as only three this century had more than twelve chase starts, and novices or second-season chasers have accounted for thirteen of the last seventeen winners.
Recent form is not essential, with only two of the last twenty-two winners successful on their previous start. Favourites have struggled as well, with just one winning since 2013, while previous Festival experience is common, with seventeen of the last twenty-one winners having run at Cheltenham in a previous year.
The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase is run over 1 mile and 7 furlongs on the Old Course at Cheltenham.
Yes, it is a handicap chase, with weights allocated according to official ratings in order to create a competitive field.
The race is open to chasers that meet the handicap rating criteria and is often contested by both novices and more experienced horses.
Yes, it regularly attracts a big field and is widely regarded as one of the most competitive handicap chases of the week.
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