Race 5 · St. Patrick's Thursday · Thursday, 12 March 2026 · ~4:10pm
Paddy Power Plate Handicap Chase
Live betting odds for one of the most competitive handicap chases of the Festival — 2m 4f 127y · Grade 3 · Old Course
Live betting odds for one of the most competitive handicap chases of the Festival — 2m 4f 127y · Grade 3 · Old Course
Compare the latest odds for the Paddy Power Plate Handicap Chase. Updated as St. Patrick's Thursday on 12 March 2026 approaches.
The live odds comparison widget will be inserted here. Check back for the latest Paddy Power Plate 2026 odds from all major bookmakers.
The Paddy Power Plate Handicap Chase is one of the most popular betting races of St. Patrick's Thursday — a two-and-a-half mile handicap over the Old Course that regularly attracts a large, competitive field and provides outstanding each-way betting opportunities.
The race is run over two miles, four furlongs and one hundred and twenty-seven yards, providing a test that is longer than the Queen Mother Champion Chase distance and shorter than the Ryanair Chase. This intermediate trip attracts a diverse range of handicap chasers — those who are slightly too slow for the top two-milers but who lack the stamina to be genuine three-mile performers.
As a Grade 3 handicap, the Plate provides opportunities for horses from across the ability spectrum to compete on theoretically level terms. In practice, identifying the horse whose current handicap mark underestimates their true ability — perhaps because of a poor recent run on unsuitable ground or with an inexperienced jockey — is the key to finding a winner at a profitable price.
The Plate has produced winners at a wide range of prices, including some memorable betting coups at double-figure odds. The combination of a large field, a competitive handicap mark spread and the demanding Cheltenham test means that the market frequently misprices individual runners, creating genuine each-way value for the informed punter.
