The Irish Handicap Hustle: Jazzy Matty and Beyond at Cheltenham 2025
The 2025 Cheltenham Festival, roaring to life from March 11-14 across 28 races, promises a four-day Irish invasion, with handicap races as the battleground where Ireland’s craftiest trainers—Gordon Elliott, Gavin Cromwell, and Willie Mullins—could hustle their way to glory. At the heart of this hustle is Jazzy Matty, Elliott’s Grand Annual hopeful, joined by sleeper stars like Cromwell’s Stumptown and Mullins’ Absurd. In the Racing Post’s Unibet-sponsored preview, the panel—Tom Segal, Paul Kealy, David Jennings, Nicky Henderson, and Ed Nicholson—debated whether these handicap raiders can outfox British defenses. With big fields and bigger odds, can Ireland’s handicap hustle, led by Jazzy Matty and beyond, dominate Cheltenham 2025?