CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL TIPS - DAY THREE
The 3rd day of Cheltenham Festival is forming up to be a belter on St Patrick's Thursday.
Here, Daily Mail Sport brings you our professional racing suggestions, featuring a selection, main risk and live outsider for each race ...
Teahupoo will be objecting to the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle for the 4th straight year
RYANAIR MARES' NOVICES' HURDLE
1.20: GRADE TWO - 2 MILES, 1 FURLONG
Last season's Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever holds strong claims now dropping in grade.
The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old lost her unbeaten record when ending up second to the reopposing Oldschool Outlaw on her hurdling launching in December.
That day her competitor had the benefit of race fitness after winning a bumper a month earlier. A 12-length winner at Fairyhouse in January, Bambino Fever looks efficient in providing Mullins with a record 6th win in the race.
Carrigmoornaspruce appears the primary danger to the selection. She was beaten simply five lengths by Skylight Hustle in the Grade One Future Champions Novice Hurdle when dealing with the geldings.
Owner Kenny Alexander has an outstanding record with his mares at this Festival and he runs Echoing Silence.
SELECTION: BAMBINO FEVER ... 6-5
MAIN DANGER: CARRIGMOORNASPRUCE ... 12-1
LIVE OUTSIDER: ECHOING SILENCE ... 16-1
JACK RICHARDS NOVICES' CHASE
2.00: HANDICAP - 2 MILES 4 1/2 FURLONGS
The type of the Timeform Novices' Handicap Chase from Trials Day was given an increase when Quebecois was 3rd in the Ultima on Tuesday.
As a result, his conqueror that day, Jordans Cross, appears well treated from a mark just 6lb higher. He is unlucky not to be unbeaten in 4 starts over fences, having fallen when taking a trip well over this course and distance at the November conference behind stablemate Kdeux Saint Fray. Both are trained by Anthony Honeyball, with the latter slipping into the race at the foot of the weights.
Regent's Stroll represents the very same connections as Caldwell Potter, who won this race last season. His runner-up effort here on Trials Day has been boosted by both the winner and third considering that, and he wants to hold strong claims.
SELECTION: JORDANS CROSS ... 6-1
MAIN DANGER: REGENT'S STROLL ... 9-2
LIVE OUTSIDER: KDEUX SAINT FRAY ... 18-1
CLOSE BROTHERS MARES' HURDLE
2.40: GRADE ONE - 2 MILES, 4 1/2 FURLONGS
Gordon Elliott had to wait up until the final race of last year's Festival to get on the scoresheet with Wodhooh - and she looks to hold impressive claims of gaining a very first Grade One success in this contest.
The six-year-old has won nine of her 10 starts over difficulties, 2 of which came over this course and distance last season.
A ranking of 154 leaves her 4lb clear of Jade De Grugy, who ended up runner-up in this race last year behind Champion Hurdle heroine Lossiemouth. She reverts back from beginner chasing to run here.
Trainer Paul Nolan has brought his greatest group yet to the Festival this year and among his leading hopes is Feet Of A Dancer, who has actually won two of her 3 starts this season and ended up runner-up to Wodhooh on her other outing.
SELECTION: WODHOOH ... 4-5
MAIN DANGER: JADE DE GRUGY ... 5-2
LIVE OUTSIDER: FEET OF A DANCER ... 10-1
PADDY POWER STAYERS' HURDLE
3.20: GRADE ONE - 3 MILES
The last 2 winners of this race restore their rivalry, with the 2024 scorer Teahupoo more highly fancied than Bob Olinger.
This will be the 4th straight year that Teahupoo has contested the race. Gordon Elliott's nine-year-old has ended up in the first two on all 8 of his starts because December 2023 and produced a career-best performance on scores when beating Bob Olinger by seven lengths in the Grade One Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.
Emma Lavelle trained Paisley Park to win this in 2019 and Ma Shantou has actually followed a similar path to that star. A seven-length success over the reopposing Impose Toi in the Cleeve Hurdle made him a rating of 154, however supporters of the runner-up will be hoping a swing in the weights can help him close the space - and even reverse the kind.
SELECTION: TEAHUPOO ... 7-2
MAIN DANGER: MA SHANTOU ... 13-2
LIVE OUTSIDER: IMPOSE TOI ... 11-1
PERTEMPS NETWORK FINAL HURDLE
4.40: HANDICAP - 3 MILES
Electric Mason may have seen the type of his reappearance runner-up effort boosted earlier in the day, when Ma Shantou runs in the Stayers' Hurdle.
He was beaten just under three lengths by that competitor at Cheltenham in October, with the reopposing Supremely West in 3rd.
Electric Mason went on to land the Betfair Stayers' Handicap Hurdle at Haydock on his next begin 132 and looks deserving of the 7lb increase he got. With Ma Shantou now rated 25lb higher than he was here in October, both Electric Mason and Supremely West, now rated 2lb lower, appear to hold claims.
Staffordshire Knot represents Gordon Elliott, who won this race 3 years in succession in between 2018 and 2020. He shows up on the back of a career-best display screen when taking the Boyne Hurdle.
SELECTION: ELECTRIC MASON ... 11-1
MAIN DANGER: SUPREMELY WEST ... 7-2
LIVE OUTSIDER: STAFFORDSHIRE KNOT ... 20-1
FULKE WALWYN KIM MUIR CHASE
5.20: HANDICAP - 3 MILES, 2 1/2 FURLONGS
Six-time Cheltenham Festival-winning rider Derek O'Connor has actually twice won this race on horses at the head of the weights. Jeriko Du Reponet's connections will be hoping he can do the exact same on their charge.
The selection was runner-up in the Pertemps at last year's Festival last season when fitted with first-time cheekpieces, while all 4 of his four chase starts have come without headgear. The cheekpieces are reapplied here. Herakles Westwood might prove the biggest threat.
Finny Maguire, who partnered him when completing second at the November conference at this course, is back on board. Daily Present beat Johnnywho when winning this race last year and that rival won the Ultima on Tuesday. His 2 starts this season have actually come over hurdles and he could outrun his chances.
SELECTION: JERIKO DU REPONET ... 10-3
MAIN DANGER: HERAKLES WESTWOOD ... 9-1
LIVE OUTSIDER: DAILY PRESENT ... 6-1
THE WIZARD OF ODDS
By Chris Baker
STAYERS' HURDLE
- Rating: 16 of the last 17 winners have actually been rated 152+.
- Last time out: 11 of the last 12 winners finished in the leading 4 last time out. Of those, five won their last race.
- Betting: 15 of the last 17 winners had a beginning rate of 14-1 or much shorter. There have been 6 winning favourites in that time.
- Age: 10 of the last 12 winners were aged 6, 7 or 8 years old.
- Trainer: Two of the last three renewals have been won by Gordon Elliott-trained horses.
VERDICT: Teahupoo is hard to oppose offered his Cheltenham record and current kind, but slight preference on patterns is for the lightly raced.
HONESTY POLICY Gordon Elliott's six-year-old landed the Grade One Mersey Novices' Hurdle at Aintree in April before being narrowly denied when stepped up in trip at Punchestown later on in the exact same month. He ran well in his only start this season, completing a close third in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.
He pertains to Cheltenham fresh, available to plenty more enhancement and could be the next star in the remaining ranks.
4.00: RYANAIR CHASE
- Rating: 16 of the last 17 winners have been ranked 161+.
- Age: 16 of the last 17 winners were aged 7, 8 or nine years of ages.
- Last time out: Nine of the last 12 winners ended up in the top three last time out.
- Betting: 14 of the last 17 winners originated from the leading 3 in the market.
- Trainer: Eight of the last 10 winners have been trained by Willie Mullins (6) or Henry de Bromhead (2 ).
VERDICT: The Willie Mullins pair Fact To File and Impaire Et Passe come out best on patterns. Fact To File was an excellent winner of the race last year and comes into this in great type, having landed the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month.
However, he is set to go off at today, so a chance is taken on stablemate IMPAIRE ET PASSE at a more appealing price. An elegant hurdler, including a Grade One victory as a novice at the 2023 Festival, he has actually now won two races at the top level given that switching to the bigger barriers. He completed his preparation for today with a success in the Grade Two Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park last month.
PLACEPOT.
In 2015's Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever seems a placepot lender, and it is hard to see stablemate Jade De Grugy ending up outside the very first two locations later on the card. The last leg looks the trickiest, so three choices are recommended.
RACE ONE: (3) BAMBINO FEVER
RACE 2: (2) SIXMILEBRIDGE (4) REGENT'S STROLL
RACE 3: (3) JADE DE GRUGY
RACE 4: (7) HONESTY POLICY (11) TEAHUPOO
RACE 5: (5) IMPAIRE ET PASSE (3) FACT TO FILE
RACE 6: (7) SUPREMELY WEST (8) ABSOLUTELY DOYEN (3) ELECTRIC MASON
1 x 2 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 3 = 24 LINE