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| Date | Friday, March 19, 2021 |
| Start Time | 15:40 (GMT+0) |
| Distance | 3m 2½f |
| Type | Chase |
| Prize | £45,000 |
| Where to Watch | Cheltenham live stream at MansionBet |
| Horses’ Age | 5+ Years. |
The St. James’s Place Steeple Chase Challenge Cup is a prominent, ungraded National Hunt chase for amateur riders. The event traditionally takes place on the last day of the Cheltenham Festival. In 2021, it’s set for Friday, March 19th, after the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
It’s held on the same track as the Gold Cup. That, combined with its ungraded status and amateur riders, have earned it the nickname “amateur Gold Cup.” It’s quite a historic race, dating all the way back to 1904. As with all events at Cheltenham, it draws considerable attention from punters.
Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase: Tips and Predictions
While the Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase is an ungraded National Hunt race, it’s by no means lacking in quality. Like most Cheltenham Festival events, the race has considerable prestige and a long history. As the “amateur Gold Cup”, it’s often a showcase for new top-shelf talent in the sport.
In 2021, the field is looking quite competitive, with many interesting horses and riders to look at. However, one horse stands above the crowd, both on paper and with the bookmakers. Billaway is coming into the race as a clear favourite.
The 8-year-old horse has racked up nine top-three finishes in 10 races, which is an impressive feat. After coming in second at last year’s Foxhunter Chase, Billaway took a 242-day break before coming in second at Fairyhouse. At the time of writing, bookies give Billaway 7/1 odds across the board.
Other horses worth keeping an eye on this year are It Came To Pass (last year’s winner), Jatiluwih and Stand Up And Fight. While they’ve had mixed performances in recent events, they round off of the favourites for the biggest Cheltenham bookmakers.
Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase: Betting Odds
| Horses | Current Odds |
| Billaway | 5/2 |
| Bob And Co | 9/2 |
| Staker Wallace | 9/1 |
| It Came To Pass | 10/1 |
| Red Indian | 11/1 |
| The Worlds End | 12/1 |
| Stand Up And Fight | 12/1 |
| Caid Du Berlais | 12/1 |
| Mighty Stowaway | 14/1 |
| Hazel Hill | 14/1 |
| Shantou Flyer | 14/1 |
| Cat Tiger | 14/1 |
| Jatiluwih | 14/1 |
| Highway Jewel | 14/1 |
| Minella Rocco | 14/1 |
| Jury Duty | 14/1 |
| Porlock Bay | 16/1 |
| Chameron | 16/1 |
| Sametegal | 16/1 |
| Latenightpass | 18/1 |
| Law Of Gold | 22/1 |
| Mr Mantilla | 22/1 |
| Duhallow Tornado | 25/1 |
| Solomn Grundy | 25/1 |
| Winged Leader | 25/1 |
| Salvatore | 28/1 |
| Wishing And Hoping | 33/1 |
| Aloneamongmillions | 33/1 |
| Monbeg Gold | 33/1 |
| Ravished | 40/1 |
Open Hunters’ Steeple Chase: Recent Winners
| Year | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2020 | It Came to Pass | Maxine O’Sullivan | Eugene O’Sullivan |
| 2019 | Hazel Hill | Alex Edwards | Philip Rowley |
| 2018 | Pacha Du Polder | Harriet Tucker | Paul Nicholls |
| 2017 | Pacha Du Polder | Bryony Frost | Paul Nicholls |
| 2016 | On The Fringe | Nina Carberry | Enda Bolger |
Previous Race: Gold Cup
Next Race: Mares’ Chase
