Day Three Guide to the Cheltenham Festival
With the favourites in the two headline races, will Irish eyes be smiling on Cheltenham’s St Patrick’s Thursday
Teahupoo could join the greats by winning a second Stayers Hurdle on Thursday. © Getty Images
Key Facts:
- The Ryanair Chase and Stayers Hurdle top the Cheltenham bill on Thursday.
- Sir Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp runners are on the card.
- History suggests a boilover is possible in the Mares Novices’ Hurdle.
- Another French-bred predicted to fly home in Ryanair.
Grade 1 contests, the Ryanair Chase and the Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle, share top billing on day three of the Cheltenham Festival. Well over 50,000 racegoers will pack into Prestbury Park for the Thursday meeting, where Irish-trained runners dominate the betting in all level-weights contests.
Reigning Stayers Hurdle champion Teahupoo and 2024 Ryanair Chase winner Protektorat are back to defend their crowns. Football managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Harry Redknapp are among those likely to have horses running in their name on this exciting day.
Here, we will look at all seven races that make up the program organisers have labelled “St Patrick’s Thursday” . Will Irish eyes be smiling? You can bet on it!
1.20 pm – The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
Probably better known as the Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, named after the legendary mare who won the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup, this two-mile race has a short history. It was first run in 2016, and Willie Mullins trained runners took the contest for the first five years.
British trainers fought back by taking the last three renditions. However, with just one British runner in the top five of the betting, that will be a difficult sequence to maintain in 2025.
Gavin Cromwell’s Sixandahalf, a capable performer on the flat and one-from-one over hurdles, could start favourite. Maughreen, with a national hunt flat race and novice hurdle success from her two outings for Willie Mullins, may challenge her for that mantle.
History suggests a boilover is very possible, though. The 2019 winner, Eglantine Du Seuil, was a 50/1 shocker, and the last three winners had generous SPs of 10/1. 16/1 and 15/2.
2.00 pm – The Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
As a new Festival race, run for the first time in 2025, there is no historical form for the Jack Richards Novices’ Chase. It has replaced the Grade 1 Golden Miller Novices’ Chase that was run over the same two-and-a-half-mile distance.
Like other Festival handicaps, we are unlikely to know the eventual favourite until the tapes rise. With a maximum field of 22 runners and this contest restricted to novices, it, too, is sure to be highly competitive with a degree of thrill and spills.
Jagwar, trained by the up-and-coming Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero partnership and owned by JP McManus, must be of interest. The French-bred has won three of his four chase starts, including an impressive course-and-distance victory on his most recent appearance.
2.40 pm – The Pertemps Network Final
Raced over three miles and with a quirky entry rule that contenders must have finished in the first four of a Pertemps Series qualification race – staged at various courses during the current season – this handicap is a ‘plotters’ playground.
Notably, Gordon Elliott trained the winner of the Pertemps Final three years in a row from 2018-20 and has had numerous placed horses. This year, the rapidly improving The Wallpark appears to be his best hope.
However, online gambling sites currently quote The Wallpark on 6/1 odds which do not frame well for this contest – as the most recent winners have had SPs of 25/1, 9/1, 25/1, 12/1, and 10/1. Glaring stats for the ‘Pertemps’ include eight of the last nine winners wearing a tongue-tie and seven hailed from Ireland.
3.20 pm – The Ryanair Chase
The Ryanair Chase (sometimes called the Festival Trophy) was introduced in 2005 when the festival moved from three days to four. It has grown quickly in importance and produced a piece of history when Bryony Frost landed the contest on Frodon in 2019 – as she became the first female jockey to win a Grade 1 over jumps at Cheltenham.
Statistically, the fact the race has fallen to a French-bred horse for the past 11 years stands out. Early betting favourite Fact To File (a 2024 Festival winner) is French-bred, but his chief rival, Il Est Francais, ticks even more boxes. The King George runner-up is French-bred, owned and trained.
Willie Mullins, what are your stars best traits? 👀
🔰 Majborough
📂 Fact To File
🏆 Galopin Des Champs
👵 Maughreen
🐴 Salvator Mundi
💜 Lossiemouth
🇺🇸 State Man
🔥 Ballyburn pic.twitter.com/fYtjH2tVv1— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) March 5, 2025
Quality runs deep in the entry for the ‘Ryanair’, with last year’s winner, Protektorat, King George winner, Banbridge, and last season’s Arkle winner, Gaelic Warrior, all being possible starters. Statistically, little stands out, albeit previous Cheltenham experience would be advantageous. It is something Il Est Francais lacks.
4.00 pm – The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
Baracouda, Inglis Drever, Big Bucks and Flooring Porter are testament to the fact this is a good race for back-to-back winners. Teahupoo landed this contest 12 months ago as the 5/4 favourite, and he could be a shorter-priced favourite to score for a second time in 2025.
Looking for negatives, the Irish-trained ‘jolly’ is an eight-year-old, and there has been just one winner of that age since 2011. Interestingly, only two of the last 50 winners were aged 10 or older. The second favourite in Thursday’s staying hurdle championship, Home By The Lee, is 10!
Three favourites have won this race in the last decade – priced 5/4, 11/8 and even-money. They have been punctuated with six winners priced between 10/1 and 50/1. With that considered, a tentative vote goes to Lucky Place.
Our selection will be stepping up to three miles for the first time. He is two-from-two this term and was placed at the 2024 Festival. Furthermore, he is trained by Nicky Henderson, who has won this contest twice before and is well overdue a third success.
4.40 pm – The TrustATrader Plate
Forget Cheltenham; the TrustATrader Plate Handicap is probably the most competitive handicap of the season – anywhere! Twenty-four runners, 17 obstacles and a hell-for-leather pace always make this a difficult race to unravel, but some stats should be heeded.
All six of the last six ‘Plate’ winners winning at Cheltenham earlier in the season stand out. Overall, British runners have a superior record in this contest, and last year was only the second time in almost four decades that the winner carried 11-stone 5-pound or more.
Shakem Up’arry, owned by Harry Redknapp, is amongst the entries. The 25/1 shot is bidding to become the first back-to-back winner of this race since The Tsarevich in 1986. Chasing him home 12 months ago was Crebilly, who opposed again but will carry seven pounds less this time.
5.20 pm – The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup
This three-mile two-furlong chase is a gruelling test for horse and jockey and not an easy race to win. Restricted to amateur riders, the final race of the day is likely to attract a full field of 24 runners, some of which could develop into Grand National contenders.
Novice chasers have won the last six runnings of the ‘Kim Muir’, but jockey bookings tend to be as important as form and stats. Leading amateur Derek O’Connor – twice successful in this contest – has been booked to ride Johnnywho. JP McManus’ horse is the favourite, but he is still 4/1.
How Can I Watch Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival?
Coverage of each of the Cheltenham Festival’s four days will be broadcast on ITV. The first five races of each day can also be streamed via ITVX. Subscription channel Racing TV will broadcast all seven daily races live.
The best sports betting sites will also stream the action for customers who place a qualifying bet. New customer sign-up offers, free bet concessions and additional place positions for each-way place bettors will be commonplace during jump racing’s biggest week.
