Cheltenham Festival Day Three – Thursday, 16th March
Our Cheltenham coverage continues, with Day 3 – St Patrick’s Thursday, featuring the Ryanair Chase and the Stayers’ Hurdle.
- 1:30 – Turners Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The Golden Miller)
- 2:10 – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier Handicap)
- 2:50 – Ryanair Chase (Registered As The Festival Trophy) (Grade 1)
- 3:30 – Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
- 4:10 – Magners Plate Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
- 4:50 – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (The Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle)
- 5:30 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase
1:30pm – Turners Novices Chase
2m4f (2m3f168y) Turners Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) (Registered As The Golden Miller) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5yo+)
Mighty Potter sets a very good standard after impressive wins at Fairyhouse and Leopardstown.
A perfect 3 from 3 over fences, he looks very hard to beat and those in behind will need to improve significantly to get close to him. He looks to hold Adamantly Chosen on form, whilst Appreciate It will need to improve for the step up in trip to feature after a relatively poor finishing effort in the Irish Arkle.
Banbridge was the most obvious eyecatcher from that race and this race looks the perfect trip for him. With a good record at Cheltenham, he also makes some appeal. The Irish horses look set to dominate this race, but if there is a hope for the home team, it is surely our selection.
Balco Coastal – 10/1
With an official rating of 144, Nicky Henderson’s charge has quite a lot to find with the principles in this race, but he is an improving horse and since stepping up to the intermediate trip he has produced the 2 best performances of his career.
A win at Kempton over Christmas was followed by a second placed finish behind Gerri Colombe in the Grade 1 Scilly Isles at Sandown. He travelled strongly through that contest, despite jumping out to his left and was simply outstayed by a very smart horse with more stamina for the Sandown hill. The switch to a left-handed track should suit on that evidence.
Although the Sandown form would still leave him with something to find with Mighty Potter, he is still improving and has a solid chance of hitting the frame at a double figure price.
2:50pm – Ryanair Chase
2m4½f (2m4f127y) Ryanair Chase (Registered As The Festival Trophy) (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (5yo+)
Allaho has won the last 2 renewals of this race, but his injury had opened the race up as a betting prospect, but only for a short time.
Blue Lord and Fury Road have some of the strongest Irish form, but the former will need to bounce back from a very poor effort in the Irish Arkle, whilst the latter continues to run well on the big occasions without managing to get his head in front. If Conflated were to be sent here instead of the Gold Cup, then he would have a good chance of winning back his owners’ money, but that looks a 50/50 call at this stage and recent events at Ascot may sway their decision.
Shiskin – 5/6
Last year didn’t go to plan and after a stunning victory in the Clarence House at Ascot, he was pulled up in the Champion Chase and found to have a bone issue. A wind operation followed a relatively disappointing effort in the Tingle Creek and that brought about an enormous amount of improvement when he stepped up in trip to win the Ascot Chase by 16-lengths.
The second placed Pic D’Orhy offers a solid look to that form and if he arrives in the same form next Thursday, he should outclass this field. He was given a Racing Post Rating of 178 for that Ascot effort, which puts him clear of this field, with only Conflated running within 7lbs of that and those efforts came over 3-miles. Like his stablemate Constitution Hill, he looks to be one of the British bankers of the week.
3:30pm – Stayers Hurdle
3m (2m7f213y) Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race) (Class 1) (4yo+)
There have been several Ante post favourites for this race throughout the season, but with most of the trial races now run, a picture has emerged.
Past winners Flooring Porter and Paisley Park have obstacles to overcome, an injury setback in the case of the former and age in the case of the latter. If she is sent here instead of the Mares hurdle, then a mention must be given to Marie’s Rock, who is the fastest horse in the race and could be very dangerous with her 7lb sex allowance, for all that she has her stamina to prove.
This race often goes to horses on an upward curve, as the previous winners mentioned demonstrated when they landed the prize and that would point towards the head of the market. Blazing Khal was an exciting novice 12-months ago and he returned from an absence to win with a lot in hand in the Boyne hurdle at Navan and if he improves on that effort, he surely goes close, but we can pick holes in that form. He finished ahead of Meet and Greet, Beacon Edge and Sire Du Berlais, who have all struggled to land a blow at the highest level and in the case of the latter pair are probably 7 to 10lbs below their career peak.
Teahupoo won very easily on his first go at 3-miles in the Galmoy Hurdle at Gowran Park, but he finished in front of the 11-year-old Summerville Boy and surely needs soft ground to be seen at his best. For that reason, we are left with a solid selection who is most likely to run his race.
HOME BY THE LEE – 6/1
He was a much bigger price at the start of the season, but Home By The Lee still represents some solid each-way value in this race. Although it is also possible to pick holes in the form of his wins in the Lismullen and Christmas hurdles, it is notable that both the Irish Handicapper and Racing Post Ratings have those 2 victories as the most impressive performances of his career.
The return to hurdling and the step up to 3-miles has brought out a tremendous amount of improvement and judging by the way he hit the line in the Christmas hurdle, he should relish the stiff finish and the stamina test of the New Course at the festival.
*Prices subject to fluctuation.
