Grand Annual Handicap Chase Tips: Rivals need to Be Aware of Skelton’s runner

The penultimate race of Day 2 at the Cheltenham Festival is the Grand Annual Handicap Chase (16:40, Wednesday). This is a contest over two miles and it is a fiercely competitive one. No trainer has saddled back-to-back winners in the Grand Annual since Fred Winter in 1981.

Read on for my Grand Annual Handicap Chase Tips.

Our in-house Horse Racing tipster Owen McMahon has gone through the card for Wednesday's Races and made a selection for every race. Read who he's backing and why with our Cheltenham Day 2 Tips. Add to that former Jockey Katie Walsh has passed on her Cheltenham Wednesday Tips to us here at Betfred.

Grand Annual Handicap Chase Odds

Be Aware @ 11/2

Paul Nicholls (four) and Nicky Henderson (two) are the only trainers this century to win this race more than once. Another Brit hoping to accomplish this feat is Dan Skelton, who trains this year's favourite BE AWARE.

Skelton enjoyed success here two years ago with Unexpected Party, who was a close second in 2025 when defending his crown. Be Aware has a tough act to follow but the seven-year-old has caught the eye since winning on his chase debut at Stratford in October.

Three successive second-place finishes have followed in Graded races, with the first coming over C&D in November. Harry Skelton has been on board for all of his outings so far and this partnership continues on Wednesday.

After two impressive rides in the last two editions of the Grand Annual, I am expecting another strong ride from him on this occasion.

Each-way - Jazzy Matty @ 8/1

As I mentioned earlier, you have to go back 45 years for the last time a trainer posted consecutive victories in the Grand Annual. Cian Collins is the latest to attempt to end the wait with defending champion JAZZY MATTY.

The seven-year-old gelding denied Unexpected Party from going back-to-back a year ago, and now Jazzy Matty has the opportunity to join Top Twenty (1958 and 1959) Dulwich (1974 and 1976) as a two-time Grand Annual champion.

It is going to be a challenge for the son of Doctor Dino because he is carrying 8lbs more than he was 12 months ago and his performances over hurdles have not maintained the same standards.

However, I cannot ignore the fact that he seems to serve up his best stuff at the Festival. He is two-for-two, having firstly claimed the Fred Winter in 2023. He's the third favourite for Wednesday but I believe he is worth covering each-way at 8/1.

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