CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL DAY 3 TIPS
L2r Janidil riddne by Mark Walsh and Conflated ridden by Davy Russell on the first circuit Day Three at Che
Looking for the Cheltenham Festival day 3 results? Visit our race by race results page here.
| Time | Race | Tip | Place Bet | |
| 13:30 |
Turners Novice Chase |
 |
Mighty Potter | Place Bet |
| 14:10 |
Pertemps Network Final Hurdle |
 |
Wakool | Place Bet |
| 14:50 |
Ryanair Chase |
 |
Shishkin | Place Bet |
| 15:30 |
Stayers’ Hurdle |
 |
Home By The Lee | Place Bet |
| 16:10 |
Plate Handicap Chase |
 |
So Scottish | Place Bet |
| 16:50 |
Mares’ Novice Hurdle |
 |
Luccia | Place Bet |
| 17:30 |
Kim Muir Chase |
 |
Beauport | Place Bet |
9/4 Galopin Des Champs To Win Gold Cup
Cheltenham Day 3 tips for the Festival include a couple of notable highlights – the Stayers’ Hurdle and Ryanair. It’s Thursday at the Cheltenham Festival, which means the St Patrick’s Day celebrations will be in full swing.
Will Irish winners be romping home on Day 3? Will popular trainer Willie Mullins add to his Festival tally with further successes on Thursday?
There’s a lot to get through in Cheltenham Day 3 tips, and our betting experts will be there all the way, sizing up the form and trends to help punters make their decisions on one of the biggest racing days of the calendar year. The Cheltenham Day 3 tips start with the Turners Novices’ Chase, one of three Grade 1 races.
You can follow all the latest insights, tips and Cheltenham betting offers for each day of the Festival here with our horse racing experts.
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Cheltenham Day 3 Races Schedule
| Time | Race | Distance | Type |
| 1.30 pm | Turners Novices’ Chase | 2m 4f | Chase |
| 2.10 pm | Pertemps Network Final | 3m | Hurdle |
| 2.50 pm | Ryanair Steeplechase | 2m 5f | Chase |
| 3.30 pm | Stayers’ Hurdle | 3m | Hurdle |
| 4.10 pm | Plate Handicap Chase | 2m 5f | Chase |
| 4.50 pm | Mares Novices’ Hurdle | 2m 1f | Hurdle |
| 5.30 pm | Kim Muir Challenge Cup | 3m 2f | Chase |
2023 Cheltenham Day 3 Tips – Thursday’s Feature Race
The headline race for Cheltenham Day 3 tips is the Stayers’ Hurdle, a Grade 1 fixture. However, there is also the big Ryanair Chase which precedes the Stayers Hurdle on Thursday.
The Stayers’ Hurdle has a wonderfully long history, and it is the top long-distance hurdle that there is in British National Hunt racing.
3:30pm – The Stayers’ Hurdle
The history of the Stayers’ Hurdle goes back to 1912 when the first winner, Aftermath, collected a £100 prize. Since then, things have come a very long way, with last year’s winner Flooring Porter taking home £135,048.
The Stayers’ Hurdle is a 3m trip around Cheltenham’s New Course, and there are 12 hurdles in the contest. Punters may commonly refer to this still as the World Hurdle. It’s a beautiful test of stamina and speed, and it’s one for those specialist stayers.
The likes of four-time winner Big Bucks, Inglis Drever and Paisley Park all come to mind as former great winners of this race.
Check out our Cheltenham Stayers’ Hurdle tips for Cheltenham Day 3 betting as part of our complete coverage of the Cheltenham Festival 2023.
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Stayers’ Hurdle Review – Flooring Porter stays the distance
Flooring Porter made it back-t0-back victories in the race with a dominant effort from the front, making all throughout and never seeing another horse in a superb display.
Willie Mullins’ Klassical Dream was sent off as 11/4 favourite for the race but failed to land a blow, eventually finishing fifth. Aside from the Irish-trained winner, the Brits filled the next four spots, with Thyme Hill and Paisley Park finished 2nd and 3rd respectively, and Nicky Henderson’s Champ chasing them home in fourth.
But it was all about Flooring Porter and his fantastic from-the-front performance, which saw him become the first horse to win back-to-back renewals since the magnificent Big Bucks.
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2023 Stayers’ Hurdle Prize Money
Last year’s winner Flooring Porter took home a big share of a big purse which was over £300k.
The prize money for the 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle is a shade over £350,000.
Stayers’ Hurdle Jockey Overview
Our experts will be looking through things like jockey trends for 2023 Stayers’ Hurdle tips. Interestingly there has only been one active jockey who has won the race more than once in the last 20 editions – and that’s Danny Mullins, who steered Flooring Porter to victory in 2021 + 2022.
Paul Townend, Aidan Coleman, and Paddy Brennan have all won the fixture. Last year’s winning jockey Danny Mullins has a fantastic record in the race, having won twice and placed in his other attempt from just three efforts in the race.
Stayers’ Hurdle Trainer Overview
The picture is a little clearer when looking at the Stayers’ Hurdle trainer trends from the last 20 editions of the Grade 1 race. Paul Nicholls has taken the most wins in that period, collecting four of them from 18 entered runners.
Willie Mullins has two winners from 33 entries, so the strike rate of Nicholls is far superior. But, Mullins has delivered two wins in the last six editions with Nichols Canyon and Penhill in 2017 and 2018.
The last time that Nicholls saw one of his cross the line first in the Stayers’ Hurdle was in 2012 when Big Bucks won for the fourth straight year.
The only other trainers to have won more than once in those 20 years are Jonjo O’Neill with More Of That in 2014, and Gavin Cromwell, who has won the last two renewals with Flooring Porter.
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2023 Stayers Hurdle Preview
The Stayers’ Hurdle is a tough race as it needs that blend of pace and stamina, which isn’t always that easy to produce over three miles. So how is the betting market shaping up for Stayers Hurdle betting tips 2023?
Flooring Porter is the obvious starting point considering he has won the last two renewals. He has been slightly disappointing so far this season, but Cheltenham tends to bring out the best of him so he’s expected to run a big race.
However the market is dominated by a couple of other Irish raiders – Teahupoo and Blazing Khal. Teahupoo won the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle on reappearance and followed up with a convincing win in the Galmoy Hurdle. However, no horse has ever won the Galmoy Hurdle and followed up with victory in the Stayers’ Hurdle, so he’ll have to buck that trend!
Blazing Khal put in a superb performance to win the Boyne Hurdle on the back of a 428 break, and he’s sure to prove popular. However, his prep took a turn when he suffered a gash and had to take two weeks off, so it remains to be seen if he will be fully fit here.
Home By The Lee could only finish sixth in this race last year but looks to have improved immensely over the summer. Trainer Joseph O’Brien has kept him fresh for this race and he remains a tempting each-way proposition at around 6-1.
An old favourite in Paisley Park is another who could run a big race. He won the 2022 Long Walk Hurdle in December, but was well beaten in the Cleeve Hurdle last time out. It is also worth noting that he’s now an 11-year-old, and the last horse of that age to win the race was Crimson Embers way back in 1986.
The horse that beat him in the Cleeve Hurdle – Gold Tweet, has been supplemented for the race after that victory and he could prove a big danger to the market leaders if building on that effort. However, there hasn’t been a French-trained winner of the race since Barracouda back in 2003, but he does look well suited to this trip and could be ready to stake his claim as a star stayer.
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The Other Races on Day 3 Of The Cheltenham Festival
The Stayers’ Hurdle is the top race on Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival 2023, but that is just one of seven fixtures on the card. As mentioned, it is just one of three Grade 1 races for Thursday. Visit our dedicated racecards page for all the runners and riders of every race.
We will have tips for each of the 28 races that make up the 4-day Cheltenham Festival betting landscape. With that in mind, here is an overview of the rest of the races on Day 3.
Turners Novices’ Chase
Previously known as the Marsh Chase, this Novices’ event kicks off Cheltenham Day 3 tips. It is a trip on the New Course over a distance of two and a half miles.
This is one of the most recent additions to the Cheltenham Festival, only having had its first edition in 2011. There may not be much history to go on but one trend that stands out is that Willie Mullins has already produced four winners. It should have been five but Galopin Des Champs came down at the last fence with the race at his mercy.
Heading the betting market for this year’s edition is Mighty Potter who pulled up in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle last year but has since won all three starts over fences. That includes a fine performance in the Grade 1 Drinmore Novice Chase in December and he was even more impressive when winning at Leopardstown last time.
He’s seen by many as one of the ‘bankers’ of the Festival, but will face a strong challenge from the likes of Appreciate It and Banbridge.
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Pertemps Network Final
The Pertemps Network Final from the Cheltenham Festival is always a fascinating encounter over a 3m trip. This is the culmination of a series of qualifying races hosted during the season and is open to horses five years and above.
8-year-old Third Wind was last year’s winner, coming home at 25/1, the longest priced winner of the race since Holywell in 2013 at the same odds. It was a thrilling finish, which saw joint-favourite Alaphilippe just edged out by the winner on the run in. Maxxum is one of the horses towards the head of the betting for Gordon Elliott, who bolted up to win his qualifier by 16 lengths. He put in a disappointing effort last time out but he’s expected to go close here, with stable stand-in jockey Davy Russell choosing to ride him from the multiple possible options in the race.
Another popular horse in the betting is David Pipe’s Thanksforthehelp. The grey hacked up at Chepstow on a tight rein and despite the fact he’s 9lb higher in the weights, he’s expected to go well.
9/4 Galopin Des Champs To Win Gold Cup
Ryanair Steeplechase
In 2008 the Ryanair Chase got bumped up to Grade 1 status and it’s now one of the most prestigious races of the 4-day meeting. Not bad for a race only introduced at the 2005 Cheltenham Festival.
The Ryanair is usually an alternative engagement for horses who lack the stamina to go for the Gold Cup. This is a slightly easier assignment at a shorter 2m 5f trip.
Some big names have won the Ryanair include Vautour, Un De Sceaux, Frodon and Cue Card. It is a race that continues to produce strong fields year after year but for the last two seasons Allaho turned it into a procession. Unfortunately injury has prevented him from attempting to become the first three-time winner of the event.
The horse most likely to benefit is Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin, already twice successful at the Cheltenham Festival. He started favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase last year but was pulled up with a rare bone disorder. He looked right back to his best last time in the Ascot Chase and is regarded by many as the British Banker bet of the meeting.
9/4 Galopin Des Champs To Win Gold Cup
Paddy Power Plate Chase
The Paddy Power Plate is a handicap chase on the New Course at Cheltenham over 2m 4 1/2f. There are 17 jumps in this contest which is open to horses five years old and up.
The winner of last year’s edition was Coole Cody, who stayed on strongly to win at cracking odds of 22/1. That was a slight shock, considering three of the last five races have been won by the favourite. The current market leader is So Scottish who has won three of his last four starts for Grand National winning trainer Emmet Mullins.
Il Ridoto and Fugitif fought out a memorable finish here at the end of January and look the pick of the home team.
Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
The Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle betting at the Cheltenham Festival offers something exciting as there have only been seven previous editions of the race, so there has been little time to build trends.
Or so you would think. Trainer Willie Mullins had the winner of each of the first five editions of the Mare’s Novices. However, he’s been beaten in the last two renewals by Henry De Bromhead and Harry Fry, successful with Telmesomethinggirl (2021) and Love Envoi (2022) respectively.
The Mares’ Novices is a Grade 2 hurdle open to fillies and mares four years old and up with eight hurdles to get over on the New Course.
The unbeaten Luccia has been strongly supported to provide Britain with second successive victory in the race. Nicky Henderson’s star mare has won both races this season without any serious danger, and jockey Nico de Boinville was so impressed with her he wanted to put her in the Supreme. Connections chose to stick to her own sex though and she will prove a popular pick for punters.
Possible dangers include Lot of Joy and Magical Zoe, where the latter would prove an emotional winner for trainer Henry De Bromhead, with the race named in honour of his son Jack De Bromhead, who sadly passed away last year.
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Kim Muir Challenge Cup
The final action of Cheltenham Day 3 tips comes from the Kim Muir Challenge Cup, which is a chance for amateur jockeys to have their moment in the spotlight. Chambard won last year’s edition for trainer Venetia Williams at a huge 40/1. Domesday Book had won at the same odds in 2017 so it is definitely a race to treat with caution.
Irish raiders Mr Incredible and Stumptown have dominated the betting, although the former will be burdened with equal top weight of 12 stone. The latter has won his last two and looks to be improving with each run, so can be expected to go well.
Other notable horses include Dunboyne, Angels Dawn and Beauport, with the latter expected to be the pick of the British runners.
We Got You Covered For Each Day of The Cheltenham Festival
Cheltenham Day 3 tips cover some great racing, and keep an eye out closer to the Festival for even more. Here are the rest of the day’s feature races from the Cheltenham Festival 2023.
- Cheltenham Festival Day 1 – Champions Day kicks-off the Cheltenham Festival featuring the Champion Hurdle and Supreme Novices’
- Cheltenham Festival Day 2 – Ladies Day featuring the Queen Mother Champion Chase
- Cheltenham Festival Day 4 – Friday is the big one with the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Stay up to date as the drama unfolds. Visit our Cheltenham Festival results page for updated results as they come in.
Thursday’s Results
| TIME | RACE | RESULTS |
| 1:30 | Turners Novice Chase | See Result |
| 2:10 | Pertemps Final Hurdle | See Result |
| 2:50 | Ryanair Chase | See Result |
| 3:30 | Stayers’ Hurdle | See Result |
| 4:10 | Plate Handicap Chase | See Result |
| 4:50 | Mares Novices’ Hurdle | See Result |
| 5:30 | Kim Muir Handicap Cup | See Result |