When is the Stable Plate 2020?

Cheltenham Thursday 12th March 4.10pm

Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (Grade 3) (5yo+)

Distance: 2 miles 5 Furlongs

Weights:  Handicap

The fifth race on day three is the Festival Plate,  or The Brown Advisory and Merriebelle Stable Plate to give it it’s full name. This race is a handicap chase over two miles and four and a half furlongs on the new course,  and there are 17 fences to be negotiated.

Big priced winners are common in this race with only one favourite having got home in front in the last 28 years.

This is a race I have a soft spot for, as I tipped Mr McGoldrick to win this in 2008 for the Sue Smith yard and it prevailed at 66/1 –  another win like that this year would be fantastic!

Stable Plate Trends and Statistics

Here are the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate 12 Year Trends and Statistics.

• Age – Ten of the last twelve winners were aged between six and nine.
• Starting Price – Nine of the last twelve winners were 12/1 or higher.
• Weight – Ten of the last twelve winners carried less than 11 stones.
• Last Run – Only three of the last twelve winners won on their last run before Cheltenham, ten of the last twelve winners had their last run within the last 70 days.
• Course Form – Nine of the last twelve winners had at least one previous run at Cheltenham, just one of the twelve winners had a previous win at Cheltenham.
• Distance Form – Eleven of the last twelve winners had at least three previous runs over 2m 3f to 2m 5f, eight of them had at least one previous win over that distance.
• Hurdle Form – All of the last twelve winners had at least three runs over hurdles, ten of them at least one win over hurdles.
• Chase Form – All of the last twelve winners had at least three previous chase runs and at least 1 previous chase win.
• Official Rating – Eleven of the last twelve winners had a rating of between 135 and 147.
• Season Form – Ten of the last twelve winners had at least three runs that season, eight of them had at least one win that season.

Who are the Stable Plate Leading Contenders?

The leading contenders for the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate 2020 are:

• GLENLOE
  
• SCHOOL BOY HOURS
  
• BEN DUNDEE
• SIMPLY THE BETTS

What’s Keith’s Stable Plate Tips for 2020?

Here is Keith’s tip for the 2020 Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate.

Another enigma of a race where, thanks to trainers keeping their cards close to their chests, we are very much in the dark regarding the potential runners and riders.

One horse that does fit the profile for the race is BEN DUNDEE, who has experience of these fences, and finished third in the Novices Handicap Chase at last year’s festival. That experience is good enough for me to give him serious consideration.

Currently rated at 142, he is ideally weighted to be competitive in this. While disappointing over 2 miles last time (a trip that is too short for him), his previous run at Navan when ¾ length second over this sort of trip was very decent form indeed.

My selection for the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate 2020 is: BEN DUNDEE 14/1 (NRNB).

As this article is written in advance of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, the likely contenders are expected to change as we get closer to St Patricks Day Thursday. The picture also starts to get much clearer as we approach the festival, with trainers starting to show their cards in the weeks leading up to Day 3. 

To get Keith’s very latest, up-to-date thoughts on the Day 3 card, and his final Day 3 tips, simply register as a FREE FRT member here, and Keith will email you the full Day 3 tips (including for this race) on the morning of St Patricks Day.

What was Keith’s Stable Plate Tip for 2019?

FRT Tipster Keith’s wrote this for the 2019 Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate:

Some of the horses that I expect to line up in this are BALLYHILL, BARON ALCO, RIVER WYLDE and ROMAIN DE SEMAN.

The one that stands out for me is the Nigel Twiston Davis trained BALLYHILL who won at Aintree in December and followed that up with a pair of solid runs over this course and distance in January finishing third on both occasions.

My Selection BALLYHILL 20/1 each way.

Result: BALLYHILL was a Non Runner.

On race day Keith advised an each way bet on EAMON AN CNOIC (12/1) who finished fourth for the place money.

Stable Plate Previous Winners

• 2008 Mister McGoldrick 11 11-07 Dominic Elsworth Sue Smith
  
• 2009 Something Wells 8 10-07 Will Biddick[a] Venetia Williams
  
• 2010 Great Endeavour 6 10-01 Danny Cook David Pipe
  
• 2011 Holmwood Legend 10 10-09 Keiran Burke Patrick Rodford
  
• 2012 Salut Flo 7 10–10 Tom Scudamore David Pipe
  
• 2013 Carrickboy 9 10-05 Liam Treadwell Venetia Williams
  
• 2014 Ballynagour 8 10-09 Tom Scudamore David Pipe
  
• 2015 Darna 9 10–11 David Bass Kim Bailey
  
• 2016 Empire of Dirt 9 10–11 Bryan Cooper Colm Murphy
  
• 2017 Road to Respect 6 10–13 Bryan Cooper Noel Meade
  
• 2018 The Storyteller 7 11–04 Davy Russell Gordon Elliott
  
• 2019 Siruh Du Lac 6 10-08 Lizzie Kelly Nick Williams

As these articles are written in advance of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, the likely contenders are expected to change as we get closer to St Patricks Day. The picture also starts to get much clearer as we approach the festival, with trainers starting to show their cards in the weeks leading up to Day 3. 

To get Keith’s very latest, up-to-date thoughts on the Day 3 card, and his final Day 3 tips, simply register as a FREE FRT member here, and Keith will email you the full Day 3 tips on the morning of St Patricks Day.

Who is FRT’s Cheltenham Day 3 Tipster?

Keith Bond is our resident pro tipster here at FRT Towers. Keith lives and breathes horse racing, having begun his love of horse racing over 40 years ago with a part time job at Catterick Racecourse, as one of three fourteen year-olds looking after two jumps and a hurdle.

Over the years, Keith has been a regular at the northern tracks attending countless race meetings and building up a network of contacts, and a portfolio of systems and strategies. 

He was one of the co-founders of Free Racing Tips all the way back in 2008, and his free tips are now backed by more than seventy thousand FRT members every single day.

“Thanks Keith – It’s great to be part of an amazing group of people all after the same thing, passing on tips to beat the bookies” 

Colin Parkinson, Harrow.

The FRT community love Keith’s attention to detail, knowledge of past races, and ability to pick horses…

“You offer some great tips, some fantastic outsiders tipped up as well. Most tipsters just put up favourites. Well done and keep up the good work”

John Woolley, Stockport