• 13/03/2024
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Cross Country Chase betting tips for the 2024 Cheltenham Festival looks at one of the unique races of the four-day event.

The Cross Country Chase odds are for the longest race at the Cheltenham Festival, as it is a massive test of three miles and six furlongs.

This year’s edition will be the 20th renewal of this contest which lines up on Day 2, and closer to the start of the Festival, our betting experts will be uploading the best Cross Country Chase tips.

Last year’s race saw Gordon Elliott land the 1-2 for a second successive year, with Delta Work coming out on top ahead of stablemate Galvin. 

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Cross Country Chase Tips – Overlooked Outsiders

The Cross Country Chase is a real slog. It takes anywhere between eight and a half to nine minutes to complete on average.

Thirty-two different obstacles stand in the runners’ way, so it can be an unpredictable contest.

Our tipsters will be digging through the big field to look at some longer Cross Country Chase odds that lean towards the each-way options.

While there has been a lot of dominance from the likes of Tiger Roll and Delta Work in recent times, there have also been a couple of long-priced winners coming home in the last decade.

In 2013 Big Shu got the job done from a 14/1 SP, and a couple of years later, Rivage d’Or did it from a bigger 16/1 quote.

Tips for Cross Country Chase betting at Cheltenham 2024 will be available for punters a little closer to the start of the Festival.

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2024 Cross Country Chase Runners + Odds – Wednesday 13th March 4:10

Horse/Form	Silks	Jockey/Trainer	Odds
Delta Work 13-136		J: Keith Donoghue T: Gordon Elliott	11/10
Galvin 4-6146		J: Davy Russell T: Gordon Elliott	9/4
Franco De Port 345545		J: Patrick Mullins T: Willie Mullins	7/1
Back On The Lash P-9231		J: Sean Bowen T: Martin Keighley	14/1
Gin On Lime 4-3204		J: Rachael Blackmore T: Henry De Bromhead	26/1
Snow Leopardess -P8762		J: Aidan Coleman T: Charlie Longsdon	20/1
Deise Aba P-65P2		J: Michael Nolan T: Philip Hobbs	20/1
Foxy Jacks P635F0		J: Ricky Doyle T: Mouse Morris	33/1
Diesel D’Allier /314-0		J: Harry Bannister T: Richard J Bandey	33/1
Plan Of Attack 3-76P7		J: Darragh O’Keeffe T: Henry De Bromhead	40/1
Mortal 5948-4		J: JOdy McGarvey T: Gordon Elliott	40/1
Easysland P-P009		J: Jonjo O’Neill Jr T: Jonjo O’Neill	40/1
Lieutenant Rocco P574P1		J: Nick Scholfield T: Syd Hosie	50/1
Francky Du Berlais 120005		J: Ben Jones T: Peter Bowen	50/1
Hardline 132216		J: Shane Fitzgerald T: Gordon Elliott	66/1
Coup De Pinceau 5-13D3P		J: George Hiscock T:Syd Hosie	80/1

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We are yet to reach the point of having the complete list of runners available for the 2024 renewal of the Cross Country Chase.

But the ante-post market is loaded, and that can lead to some early calls for horse racing betting on this one.

Some prominent names should make it to the final declarations, all being well. That includes the 2022 + 2023 winner, Delta Work.

Sent off as 11/10F for the race last year, he just edged out stablemate Galvin in a thrilling finish and this will undoubtedly be his target again this year.

Stablemate Galvin will prove a big threat to him, but perhaps the bigger danger could come from another stablemate in Conflated. The classy gelding has been well supported in the betting for the race so connections could be leaning towards entering him in this at the 2024 Festival.

Other notable entrants include Minella Indo, Stattler and Foxy Jakcs.

Keep an eye out for this year’s best Cross Country Chase tips, which will be uploaded here.

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How to pick a Cross Country Chase winner

Those all-important trends for Cross Country Chase betting need to be sized up, and that is just what our expert tipsters will be doing.

This is a race for specialists as not all horses, not even the great stayers of chasing, are all built for this kind of stamina test. This is beyond that – it’s for runners who have deep, deep wells of stamina reserves.

There have only been four favourites in the last ten editions delivered on their odds. That includes the last two renewals, which were both won by Delta Work.

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Last 10 Cross Country Chase Winners Odds

• 2023 Delta Work 11/10F
• 2022 Delta Work 5/2F
• 2021 Tiger Roll 9/2
• 2020 Easysland 3/1
• 2019 Tiger Roll 5/4F
• 2018 Tiger Roll 7/1
• 2017 Cause Of Causes 4/1
• 2016 Josies Orders 15/8F
• 2015 Rivage d’Or 16/1
• 2014 Balthazar King 4/1
• 2013 Big Shu 14/1

There has been a definite trend towards Irish horses regarding the Cross Country Chase. 16 of the 19 previous editions of this race have been won by an Irish runner, two from GB and one from France.

No female horse has won the fixture before. However, again this is a race for specialists, so there are some key trends to pick through.

Notably, there hasn’t been a Grey or a Chestnut winner of the contest, and none of the editions has been won by a runner who has ever been larger than 66/1 in their career.

All but one of the Cross Country renewals have been won at no bigger than 16/1 odds, and all winners had had their last win over a distance of at least 2m 5f.

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All About The Cross Country Chase: Past and Present

Known as the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase for sponsorship reasons, this fixture at the Cheltenham Festival is a Cross Country Chase. Therefore, it is hosted on the Cross-Country Course at Cheltenham.

The race distance is 3 miles and 6 furlongs, with thirty-two obstacles for the runners to negotiate. The Cross Country Chase was a handicap fixture for most of its history, but it has been a conditions race since 2016.

The leading jockey in the history of the Cross Country Chase, which was introduced in 2005, is Nina Carberry, with four wins. Keith Donoghue has won three of the last five renewals, teaming up with Tiger Roll.

The leading trainer is Gordon Elliott with five victories, followed by Enda Bolger, who has won renewals.

For a fascinating stat, neither Paul Nicholls (16 runners) nor Willie Mullins (15 runners) has managed to produce a Cross Country Chase winner.

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How Do Horses Qualify For The Cross Country Chase Race?

The minimum age for a place in the Cross Country is 5-years-old. This is a conditions race now, meaning that its weights are allocated by sex and age, among other things, to level the playing field as much as possible.

What is the Cross Country Chase Prize Money in 2024?

The purse details for the 2024 Cross Country Chase betting are not known at this time. However, last year’s winner Delta Work took the top prize of £39,022.50. The other prizes issued were 2nd £17,940, 3rd £8,970, 4th £4,485, 5th £2,242.50, 6th £1,117.50.

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Cross Country Chase Past Winners

You can’t talk about previous winners of the Cross Country Chase without mentioning the great Tiger Roll, of course. His first win came in 2018 by two lengths before bolting up the following year on his title defence to win by 22-lengths over former winner Josies Orders. 

Tiger Roll had his hat trick bid in 2020 smashed by Easysland but got the better of that rival in the 2021 edition. Other notable winners of the Cross Country Chase are Garden Champetre and Balthazar King, who both won it twice.

Year	Horse	Odds	Jockey	Trainer
2023	Delta Work	11/10F	Keith Donoghue	Gordon Elliott
2022	Delta Work	5/2F	Jack Kennedy	Gordon Elliott
2021	Tiger Roll	9/2	Keith Donoghue	Mrs Denise Foster
2020	Easysland	3/1	Jonathan Loguanou	D Cottin
2019	Tiger Roll	5/4F	Keith Donoghue	Gordon Elliott
2018	Tiger Roll	7/1	Keith Donoghue	Gordon Elliott
2017	Cause Of Causes	4/1	Mr J J Codd	Gordon Elliott
2016	Josies Orders	15/8F	Ms N Carberry	E Bolger
2015	Rivage d’Or	16/1	Davy Russell	A J Martin
2014	Balthazar King	4/1	Richard Johnson	Philip Hobbs
2013	Big Shu	14/1	B M Cash	Peter Maher
2012	Balthazar King	11/2	Richard Johnson	Philip Hobbs
2011	Sizing Australia	13/2	A E Lynch	Henry De Bromhead

Other Races on Day 2 of the Cheltenham Festival

The Cross Country Chase betting will unfold on Day 2 of the Festival, following the feature race that is the Queen Mother Champion Chase. Here are all the races for Wednesday at the Festival:

13:30 The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 1)

14:10 The Brown Advisory Novices’ Steeple Chase (Grade 1)

14:50 The Coral Cup Hurdle (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Grade 3)

15:30 The Betway Queen Mother Champion Steeplechase (Grade 1)

16:10 The Glenfarclas Cross Country Steeplechase

16:50 The Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Steeple Chase Challenge Cup (Grade 3)

17:30 The Weatherbys Champion Bumper (A Standard Open NH Flat Race) (Grade 1)