Horse Racing Tips: Leading Fancies at Thursday’s Meetings
Racing on Thursday comes from Wetherby, over Jumps, and Southwell and Newcastle, on the Flat.…
Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Tips – Thursday 18th March 2021
The 2021 Cheltenham Festival continues into it’s third day and this looks a tough day for punters, with only Envoi Allen looking a banker. Paisley Park will be favourite for the Stayers and there are more tricky handicaps.
The Thursday action gets underway at 1.20pm with the Marsh Novices’ Hurdle before the tricky Pertemps Hurdle. The Ryanair Chase looks like a wide open Grade 1 and it could be one of the races of the week with Allaho, Min, Imperial Aura and Melon amongst the challengers.
Paisely Park is favourite for the Stayers’ Hurdle and the day 3 racing finishes with the Kim Muir Handicap Chase at 4.50pm.
See our day 3 tips below including the best bookies to use for each race to ensure you get the very best value for all your bets on Thursday.
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Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Tips
1:20 Cheltenham
The opener on day 3 is the Marsh Novices Chase ran over the intermediate trip of 2m4f. The star that is Envoi Allen heads the market and rightfully so. He has two festival wins to his name already, he’s unbeaten in 11 career starts under rules and has looked a natural over the larger obstacles winning all three starts.
However, there is no value in his price so I’m happy to play one each way here. The one for me is FUSIL RAFFLES EW (18/1 with William Hill). Fusil Raffles has won 3 from his 4 Chase starts and the ground would have been far too soft for him on the occasion he didn’t win. He stepped up to 2m4f to win his last start here at Cheltenham which proves the trip would be no issue. The drying ground is key to him and he has a lot more pace than most of his rivals. If he can stay close to Envoi Allen, he can track him and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does him for pace up the home straight. Good each way bet if the rain doesn’t come.
1:55 Cheltenham
The Pertemps Handicap is up next, a 3m handicap hurdle where many of the runners will have been plotted for this race throughout the season. Any significant market movers should be noted.
The one for me is STORM ARISING EW (22/1 with William Hill) for the Paul Nicholls team. I think he’s tailor-made for a race like this. He stays all day, finds loads for pressure and he continues to improve. He’s up 4lb for his last win and I think that’s fair enough. I expect he’ll take up a nice position early on tracking the leaders and can come through under the Bryony Frost drive in the home straight to at least hit the frame. Nice each way price again for us.
2:30 Cheltenham
Next up is one of the best races of the week in my opinion, it’s a fantastic and wide open renewal of the Ryanair Chase. Allaho and Min currently head the market. Allaho may lack the speed for a Ryanair especially if the ground continues to dry out so I’m happy to look elsewhere. Min is 10 now and although he’s a classy sort, he needs to bounce back from a poor race at the Dublin Racing Festival and I think he’s vulnerable this week.
The one I like here is SAINT CALVADOS EW (11/1 with Bet Victor). He arguably should have won this race last year when he was second to Min. He travelled like a dream but just couldn’t get past up the hill after a few traffic issues and was an unlucky loser. He ran a stormer in the King George last year where his stamina just gave in over the 3m trip towards the end of the race. Trainer Harry Whittington has certainly had a very quiet season to date but he’s started to have a few winners recently and this could be significant for the chances of Saint Calvados. The ground drying out will aid his chances further and I think he is another cracking each-way bet on Day 3.
3:05 Cheltenham
The feature on Day 3 is the Stayers Hurdle. An open Grade 1 over 3m. Disappointing that Thyme Hill had to miss the race after a setback last week and that leaves Paisley Park at the top of the market. He’s looked right back to his best this season finishing second to Thyme Hill on his seasonal debut before winning the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot last time out. He’s a worthy favourite who will be doing all his best work at the end of the race but at the prices I’m happy to look elsewhere.
The one for me is SIRE DU BERLAIS EW (5/1 with Bet Victor). He just loves it here at Cheltenham and this has been the race his whole season has been geared towards. He won a Grade 2 over 2m4f at Limerick to start his season where he kept on strongly that day and Mark Walsh couldn’t pull him up after the line. He was disappointing last time out over Christmas but a lot of the yards horses did so I’m not concerned. He has a fine Cheltenham Festival record winning the Pertemps the last two years including Off a mammoth weight of 11’12 in 2020. I think the return to Cheltenham is key and he’s a worthy each way bet against the favourite as he’ll definitely be there or thereabouts jumping the last.
3:40 Cheltenham
The 3:40 race is the Paddy Power Plate, a Handicap Chase contest ran over 2m4f. Caribean Boy looks interesting given his profile and looks sure to run his race at a nice price.
However, I can’t get away from THE SHUNTER NB (92 with bet365) here. He’s been in great form all season and he bids to win here to collect the 100,000 bonus for his victory last week at Kelso. His victory last week at Kelso was over hurdles so his chase mark has been unaffected by the victory so he doesn’t carry a penalty here. That is a shrewd move by the Emmet Mullins team and another shrewd move is appointing Jordan Gainford to do the stirring claiming 7lbs. He is the next big thing according to the Irish experts and his 7lb claim is a real steel. The horse will be suited by the strong pace here and he’s proven over further. He’s just a very good versatile horse that can get the job done here.
4:15 Cheltenham
The 4:15 race is the Mares Novice Hurdle, a Grade 2 contest ran over 2m. Willie Mullins holds a strong hand here as usual that includes Hook Up that ran well against the boys last time out and I’m sure she’ll do for many here.
However, I really like one of Willie’s other runners and that is GLENS OF ANTRIM NAP (8/1 with bet365). Still a maiden but she is still completely unexposed She has a similar profile to last years winner for the same yard Concertista and like her, I think the spring ground will be the making of Glens Of Antrim. She has finished second in two maidens on her last two starts but they were still very decent efforts. The first maiden she finished behind Albert Bartlett favourite Stattler where she ran him very close before finishing second again last time out to Mr Incredible who also looks a very good horse. That was on heavy ground and her action suggests to me that she’s going to be a different animal when she gets faster ground. She gets that here and I think she’ll take a lot of beating. Nice price.
4:50 Cheltenham
The finale on Day 3 is the Kim Muir, a handicap ran over 3m2f. Again it’s disappointing that no amateur riders can take part this year as this is a race they love but nevertheless it’s still a very decent and wide open betting heat for us punters to get stuck into.
The one I like in this is the mare MOUNT IDA EW (10/1 with bet365) for the Sneezy Foster team. Mount Ida has been running really solid races all season, never finishing out the frame in Graded Chase contests. She now returns to handicap company and I think she’ll relish this step up in trip to 3m2f. We know the yard like to target the handicaps at the Festival and I’m sure this has been the plan now for a while. Another great each way bet to round off proceedings on Day 3.
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2021 Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Preview
Things get underway with the Novices’ Chase and then the Pertemps final on day 3 of the 2021 Cheltenham Festival. From there, things get really exciting with the Ryanair Chase and then the Championship race on day 3, the Stayers’ Hurdle.
Following the previous day’s results, it will be either punters or bookies ahead and with Paisley Park running on Thursday, it could be make or break for both sides of the betting fence. If the bookies are ahead you can expect to see some juicy prices for the staying superstar at 3.30pm, but if the favourites have been winning in the first two days of racing, the bookies might look to keep Paisley Park onside and offer less generous odds.
The atmosphere is always electric on St Patrick’s Day at the Cheltenham Festival, with the Guinness tent filled to the brim with Irish punters who make the pilgrimage to Cheltenham every year. You can be sure the bookies will be running for cover if a few of the Irish trained horses win on day 3.
Cheltenham Day 3 Races
The Marsh Novices’ Chase kicks-off St Patrick’s Day at the Cheltenham Festival 2021 and it is always a big day for the Irish punters.
The second race on the card is the Pertemps Final and this is always a very tough betting heat for punters. Our expert Cheltenham day 3 tips will give you some guidance in what to bet on in this race but with the favourite normally around 7 or 8/1, it is never easy to pick the winner.
Next up is one of the best races of the week, the Ryanair Chase. This race has been won by some wonderful horses in recent seasons including Cue Card, the late Vautour and Alberta’s Run. The likes of Frodon, Min and Melon could all line-up in the 2021 renewal so be sure to keep an eye out for our Ryanair Chase tips when they become available.
Next up it’s the big Championship race of the day, the Stayer’s Hurdle. Big Bucks dominated this race for years and now Paisley Park is back to regain his crown. He won the race two years ago but was disappointing in 2020.
Following the Stayer’s Hurdle, the Brown Advisory Plate comes and it’s another tough betting test for Cheltenham punters. This is another wide-open handicap and after the Ryanair and the Stayer’s, this is normally a quieter betting race unless there is a big gamble taking place.
The penultimate race on day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival is the Mares’ Novices Hurdle. This is another quiet race and one that some horse racing pundits have called for to be scrapped after just three years. It is hard to predict which horses will line-up for this race so it isn’t a big ante-post betting market but once the declarations are in, expect to see some gambles on horses trained by the likes of Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliot.
The final race and the last of our Cheltenham day 3 tips will come from the Kim Muir, another tough handicap race that will see punters trying to work out a big field and find the winner. Only amateur rides are allowed to participate in this race and we often get some fallers in what is always a messy 3m 2f trip. One betting tip for punters here is to look out for the amateur riders who have the most experience, especially around Cheltenham racecourse. This will prove invaluable for the inevitable grandstand finish up the Cheltenham hill.
Cheltenham Day 3 Tips from Pundits and Newspapers
As we get nearer to the start of the 2020 Cheltenham Festival, horse racing pundits such as Matt Chapman, Hugh Taylor and Dave Nevison will start giving out their Cheltenham day 3 top tips. We will add them into this page for you and on the morning of the Thursday at Cheltenham, we will also add all of the Cheltenham newspaper NAPS to this page for you to consider betting on.
Newspaper tips are always a big part of people’s research for looking at what to bet on at Cheltenham and the experts usually get things pretty close.
Pricewise is always a good starting point for ante-post Cheltenham Festival tips though and you will need to get into the Racing Post to see what he is tipping up for day 3.
The bookies also have selections and you will be able to get the Paddy Power Cheltenham tips for day 3 from some of their experts including former jockey Ruby Walsh and ITV racing pundit Matt Chapman.
More Cheltenham Tips
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