Last Updated on 12/03/2026 by Andy Clark
Find our Cheltenham Festival Day 3 betting tips and predictions below, along with an in-depth race by race preview from our horse racing expert Ciaran Murphy.
The 2026 Festival rolls past the halfway point, and Thursday throws up the Ryanair Chase and Stayers’ Hurdle as the feature races.
If you want the stats and historical trends behind these races before diving into the tips, our Cheltenham Day 3 Trends page covers age profiles, trainer records, price patterns and horses to avoid for all seven St Patrick’s Day races. For free bets to back these selections, see our Cheltenham Festival free bets guide, which includes a £10 free bet when you bet £10 on the first race and money back all losers in the first race of each day.
Cheltenham Day 3 Tips – Thursday 12th March
1.20pm – Mares Novice Hurdle
In the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, I’m happy to side with Bambino Fever (11/10), who brings the standout bumper form into this and still looks open to plenty of improvement over timber. A winner of last season’s Champion Bumper, she ticks the all-important Festival form box. While she was beaten earlier in the season by main market rival OldSchool Outlaw, she was making her seasonal return that day and likely needed the run, while her rival held the fitness edge. Conditions should also tilt things back in her favour, with a sounder surface expected to suit her much better.
In my ante-post look at this race, I sided with Carrigmoornaspruce on the strength of her Grade 1 form behind Skylight Hustle, but that line took a significant knock in Tuesday’s Supreme when Talk The Talk failed to back it up. Instead, I’m now drawn to a different piece of form — that of Supreme winner Old Park Star. Two starts ago, Kingston Queen (25/1) was sent off favourite ahead of him over this course and distance, and that run now reads much better in the context of the week. It marks her down as one with the class and tactical speed for a race of this nature. The application of first-time cheekpieces is another positive, especially given how effective the angle proved on Day 1. They could help her travel more sweetly over this slightly shorter trip than she faced when winning last time out, and if they have the desired effect, she looks capable of outrunning her price.
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2.00pm – Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
Day 1 was a reminder — if one were needed — that siding with JP McManus runners in Festival handicaps is rarely a bad idea. In the Ultima, we saw his colours carried by the first two home, and it’s not beyond the realms that something similar could unfold here. Notably, it was actually the apparent third string Johnnywho who struck, which makes it tempting to side with another supposed second-string in Stencil (11/1).
He was strongly backed as if defeat were out of the question in last year’s Fred Winter, and he’s shaped better than the bare form suggests since going chasing. His run in the Arkle Trial at the November Meeting was particularly eye-catching: held up despite racing keenly, he travelled strongly into contention and made ground stylishly around the home turn before weakening late. If the application of a first-time hood helps him settle over this longer trip, he looks very well treated and capable of going close.
I’ll also be backing Meetmebythesea (6/1), who has been something of a preview night darling and whose price has contracted accordingly. His turn of foot at Ayr two starts ago was striking, and his latest run over two miles is easily forgiven — that looked an inadequate trip and very much a means to qualify for this race. Back over a more suitable distance, he makes plenty of appeal alongside the main selection. While the form of the Pauling yard on Day 1 is a slight concern, it may even lead to a bigger price on the day.
2.40pm – Mares’ Hurdle
In the Mares Hurdle, Woodhooh (8/11) sets a high standard. A winner of 9 out of 10 hurdle starts, she has all the attributes you would want in this contest, which this year switches to the new course, which favours stamina over speed. Having won the Martin Pipe over course and distance, again, there really are no holes in the case for her being the likely winner. One possible betting angle into the race is that I fancy Feet of a Dancer (10/1) to fill the places ahead of short-priced Jade du Grugy, who comes here as a cleat sub for Lossiemouth after a season over larger obstacles.
3.20pm – Stayers’ Hurdle
In the Stayers’ Hurdle, I’m drawn back to defending champion Bob Olinger (8/1), with conditions looking to have come right for him again. Although now an 11-year-old, age may not be the barrier some assume, with this race producing two 10+ winners in the last three renewals. The word on the preview circuit has consistently been that he’s in as good a shape as ever, which only strengthens the case. His seasonal return when chasing home Teahupoo at Christmas was a solid starting point, and his trainer has been clear that this has been the plan all season. That suggests we can expect him to strip much fitter here, and with the ground likely to play to his strengths, he looks primed to mount a bold defence.
4.00pm – Ryanair Chase
In the Ryanair chase, taking on Fact to File, given his performance in this race last year and in the Irish Gold Cup may lead to men in white coats being summoned. However, at the declaration stage, he was met by two unexpected and highly credible challengers. The chief threat may come from another JP McManus runner in Jonbon (8/1), who must rank among the best horses never to win at the Festival. Remarkably consistent — finishing in the first two in all but one of his 26 starts and earning over £1.5 million in prize-money — his attitude and will to win are beyond doubt. There’s a strong case that this intermediate trip is exactly what he’s wanted for some time. His Clarence House success suggested stamina is firmly within range, while his Grade 1-winning form at two miles confirms he won’t be short of pace. The obvious concerns are his Cheltenham record and the proximity of a tough race in the Ascot Chase, but on balance, this setup could suit him perfectly.
Nor should Impaire Et Passe (7/1) be overlooked. A Festival winner on his only previous visit to the track, he looked better than ever when showing a sharp turn of foot from the last to the line on his seasonal return at Gowran. If Fact To File does feel the effects of recent exertions, it could easily be his stablemate who capitalises.
4.40pm – Network Final Handicap Hurdle
While I’m happy to take on the favourite in the Ryanair, I won’t be doing the same in the Pertemps after watching Dan Skelton’s plot horse Madara absolutely bolt up in the Plate on Day 1 — a timely reminder of how well this yard targets Festival handicaps. Supremely West (4/1) looks like another obvious Skelton plot and appears very well treated on the pick of his recent form. His qualifying run, when third to Ma Shantou and Electric Mason over course and distance, reads extremely well now, with those rivals subsequently rated 25lb and 11lb higher, respectively, while he himself has been eased 3lb by the handicapper. That leaves him looking attractively weighted for a race of this nature. He has the profile of one laid out for the contest, and if reproducing that qualifying effort under Festival conditions, he looks the one they all have to beat.
At a bigger price, I liked the qualifying run of Minella Sixo (25/1), who was a horse I followed closely last year. He was very eye-catching at the DRF despite being easy to back, and on the best of his novice form, he is well handicapped off a mark of just 132.
5.20pm – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir
In the final race of the day, the amateurs get their chance to shine, and it often pays to focus as much on the jockeys as the horses. With that in mind, the obvious starting point is Derek O’Connor, who is booked for hot favourite Jeriko Du Reponet. JP McManus invariably targets this race — with Inothewayurthinkin (subsequent Gold Cup winner) landing it two years ago and this year’s Ultima hero Johnnywho going close last season. That said, none of this has gone unnoticed by the market and at around 7/2 I’m inclined to look elsewhere for value. A couple of weeks ago, Waterford Whispers would have been of strong interest at 16/1 on the strength of his Martin Pipe run two years ago, but he too has been well found and now looks short enough at around 9/2.
Reluctantly, I’m going to end the day by taking on JP (white coats at the ready). Instead, Kim Roque (9/1) makes plenty of appeal as an unexposed alternative in a race that often rewards progressive types. Still only six, he’s an intriguing runner for Joseph O’Brien and has shaped with promise in a couple of previous visits to Cheltenham since joining the yard in the summer, running with credit on both occasions. Crucially, he remains completely unexposed over staying trips, and this test could easily unlock further improvement. With Liam Gleeson booked, he won’t lack from the saddle, and he could be the one to give Ireland the final winner on St Patrick’s Thursday.
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For what the wider punditry world is thinking about Thursday’s racing, our Cheltenham pundit tips page has the latest picks from Tom Segal, Ruby Walsh, Kevin Blake, Matt Chapman and more. If you’re still looking at the free bet offers, the Cheltenham free bets guide has every sign-up deal available.
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Ciaran Murphy is a seasoned horse racing analyst with a keen eye on the Cheltenham Festival ante-post markets. A passionate follower of National Hunt racing, he has spent years studying trends, form, and betting strategies to uncover value in novice hurdles, chases, and Championship races. Known for combining insightful analysis with practical betting advice, Ciaran provides readers with expert previews, tips, and market commentary to give them an edge ahead of every Cheltenham Festival.