DAY 3 – THURSDAY 14TH MARCH – THE PADDY POWER STAYERS HURDLE
The feature race on Day 3 is The Stayers Hurdle and every race fan is looking forward to seeing if Paisley Park can bring the roof off of Cheltenham one final time.
The Stayers Hurdle has been won by some greats over the last decade, including the Paul Nicholls-trained Big Bucks who was a four-time winner of the race in 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012.
With seven races each day, it gives many options from a betting perspective. You could go for all seven races and place a bet like a Super Heinz, or maybe get rid of a race with an odds-on favourite and go for a bet like a Lucky 63.
- 13:30 The Turners Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
- 14:10 The Pertemps Network Final (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Listed) (Premier Handicap)
- 14:50 The Ryanair Steeple Chase (Grade 1)
- 15:30 The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
- 16:10 The TrustATrader Plate (A Handicap Steeple Chase) (Premier Handicap)
- 16:50 The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered As The Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle)
- 17:30 The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup (Sponsored by The JRL Group) Handicap Steeple Chase (0-145)
Although we love to reminisce about these old national hunt warriors, you are not here for my trip down memory lane and the past winners, but to try and find this year’s winner, so let’s get right into the action and our Cheltenham Festival Preview Day 3.
13:30 THE Turners Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)
Will we see any dramatic fireworks like we did last two years ago with the final fence fall of Galopin Des Champs? The Turners is a relatively new race at the festival, having been run for the first time in 2011.
We are sure to see plenty of Irish entries and it will be interesting to see what sort of ammo the British trainers can come up with to try and stop the Irish from winning it for the ninth time in twelve years.
We picked out three horses on the 2024 Cheltenham Festival Preview page at the end of January but once the final declarations are announced, our expert Richard Smith will be analysing each runner’s chance and giving you his tips for the race.
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Place a Win or Each Way single bet at odds of 4/1 or more on any horse running in a race televised live on ITV Racing. If your first single bet on that race wins, place a bet up to the same stake (up to £50*) on the next race broadcast live on ITV Racing. If the bet loses we will refund your stake (up to £50*). If the bet also wins at odds of 4/1 or more, you qualify for a bet on the next race televised live on ITV Racing. *or currency equivalent Significant Terms and Conditions This offer is only available to new and eligible customers. This offer applies to the FIRST single bet placed by a customer on each race shown live on ITV Racing. This offer will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, any refund amount or subsequent qualifying bet amount will be equal to the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, any refund amount will be equal to the new stake and not the original stake. Where a qualifying bet is changed using Edit Bet, no refund will be given and the offer will no longer apply. Where more than one selection in the same race is placed on the same bet slip, the first selection is deemed to be the one which is highest on the bet slip. Offer applies to bets placed on Win and Each Way Fixed Odds markets (including where a Bet Boost is applied) and Enhanced Place Terms markets only. All other markets, including adjusted place terms (Each Way Extra), Ante-Post bets and Tote/Pari-Mutuel/Colossus (bets and dividends), are excluded from this offer. Bets must be placed in the usual way and can be paid for from either your Withdrawable Balance or Bet Credits. Bets placed from your Withdrawable Balance will be refunded to your Withdrawable Balance and bets placed using Bet Credits will be refunded as Bet Credits. If your qualifying bet loses, your stake will be refunded to your account within one hour of the race finishing.
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Bet365 Group Ltd / Hillside (New Media) Ltd
2000
Stoke-on-Trent
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
FORM PICK
The first race of the day is the Turners Chase and Facile Vega 2/1 will be looking to bring up win number 101 at the Cheltenham Festival for Willie Mullins and his chance is there for all to see. However, he’ll face some stiff competition from the Jonjo O’Neill-trained Iroko 11/2. This one won the first time out this season and is clearly
on an upward trend.
But at bigger value, we like the chances of DJELO 20/1 EW who won his first three races and ran well to finish second in a Sandown Grade 1 last time when they clearly got the tactics wrong.
14:10 The Pertemps Network Final (A Handicap Hurdle Race) (Listed) (Premier Handicap)
The second race on Day 3 is one of my personal favourites of the week as the staying handicap hurdlers do battle. We are always treated to a big field, and often we’ll see a big price winner in this race, so it’s worth trying to pick out a couple against the field at juicy double-figure odds and maybe trying your luck for a big dividend with a combination tricast..
We mentioned three fancied horses for this on our 2024 Cheltenham Festival Preview page, but when the final fields are announced, our expert Richard Smith will be doing his very best to pick out a double carpet (33/1) shot to back each way.
- 5 Places. If there are fewer than 16 runners they will pay 4 Places (1/5 odds).
- 6 Places. If there are fewer than 20 runners they will pay 5 Places (1/5 odds).
- 7 Places. If there are fewer than 26 runners they will pay 6 Places (1/5 odds).
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Applies to singles and multiple bets. 3 Places. If there are fewer than 6 runners standard place terms will apply. 4 Places. If there are fewer than 12 runners standard place terms will apply. 5 Places. If there are fewer than 16 runners they will pay 4 Places (1/5 odds). 6 Places. If there are fewer than 20 runners they will pay 5 Places (1/5 odds). 7 Places. If there are fewer than 26 runners they will pay 6 Places (1/5 odds). Doesn’t apply to ante-post bets. Dead heat rules apply. Betfred reserve the right to exclude certain customers from this offer at our discretion due to internal risk policies and/or account staking restrictions. General Betfred.com rules apply, see website for details.
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Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited
1967
5/2 Waterport Place, Gibraltar,
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
FORM PICK
Cuthbert Dibble 5/1 is the favourite for the Pertemps Hurdle final and having won his last three, he will have plenty of supporters on his side, but the Nigel Twiston Davies horse did not have much to spare last time and might just be in the grip of the handicapper.
One horse that might be under the radar here is Springwell Bay 14/1. He is upped a couple of pounds for a solid effort last time, has form on todays ground, and has a very solid record in three runs here at Cheltenham.
We are a bit loathe in supporting anything from the Henderson yard, but like last year we have to side with the veteran MILL GREEN 28/1 EW who is just two pounds higher than when finishing third in this in the last two seasons.
14:50 THE Ryanair STEEPLE Chase (Grade 1)
It’s race three on Day 3 and we have Envoi Allen looking likely to be trying to take this race for the second year in succession. Once again it looks like a top-quality field will assemble to try and take away his crown, with the likes of Banbridge and Stage Star providing stiff opposition.
Once we have the final declarations, our expert Richard Smith will be looking to post up his thoughts on which horse looks the value bet for the Ryanair Chase.
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William Hill PLC
1934
William Hill Global PLC, Tagliaferro Business Centre, Level 7, High Street, Sliema SLM 1549, Malta
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
FORM PICK
This looks like a good renewal of the Ryanair and I doubt many would begrudge Michael O’Leary a win with Conflated 6/1 and although he has unseated the last couple of times he has plenty of class and this intermediate trip is right up his street. A clear round would see it impossible to be out of the first three.
Stage Star 9/2 is flying the flag for the Brits, and he has some outstanding form here at Cheltenham. He was hugely disappointing last time but could well bounce back having been given a nice break in the run-up to this.
Cheveley Park has dominated this race in recent seasons and it is ENVOI ALLEN 5/2 WIN that gets our vote here. He looks to have been clearly laid out for a repeat of last year’s win and should put up a bold effort.
15:30 THE Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
The feature race on Day 3 is the Stayers Hurdle and according to reports, it is going to be interesting to see if dual champion Flooring Porter will make it to this year’s race in his bid for a third victory, or whether he takes up a chasing assignment earlier in the week. Below you can watch the rerun of last years race.
Even if he does not make the race, we still have a cracker in store with Teahupoo proving a revelation so far this season. We’ll also see Sir Gerhard and Paisley Park battling for the crown.
Once the final declarations are posted on the Racing Post and Sporting Life websites, our tipster Richard Smith can point you in the way of a couple of potential each-way bets.
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
FORM PICK
The Stayers Hurdle has so many storylines lined up and is a cracking race. TeaHupoo 7/4 is the favourite to improve on his placed effort last year and he probably has the best piece of form heading into the race.
However, put in Paisley Park 10/1 who just does not give in, and if he were to win it would bring the house down and floods of tears and probably a retirement would follow.
Then we have the dual winner Flooring Porter 11/1 who will surely once again try to make every yard of the running. It is fascinating to see him come back to hurdles and it may well be that the switch ekes out a bit of zest in the old boy.
However, the pick is NOBLE YEATS 5/1 WIN who will surely get this race set up nicely with Flooring Porter and Dashel Drasher making this a fierce test of stamina.
16:10 The TrustATrader Plate (A Handicap Steeple Chase) (Premier Handicap)
The fifth race of the day is one of the most competitive handicap chases of the week. Run over 2 miles 4 1/2 furlongs, it usually attracts a field of twenty-plus runners and is more often than not won by a horse that features lower in the handicap ratings.
Once we get the final decs for The Plate Handicap Chase, our expert Richard Smith will be doing his best to pick out a couple of value bets that you might want to back each-way.
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Bet365 Group Ltd / Hillside (New Media) Ltd
2000
Stoke-on-Trent
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
FORM PICK
Theatre Man 7/2 is the favourite for this, and his second spot last time here at Cheltenham was a fine effort, however, he does not look to have too much in hand of the handicapper and looks of little value from a punting point of view.
The Willie Mullins trained Glengouly 12/1 looks sure to put up a bold effort and looks a solid each-way play, but the one we like is Harry Fry’s IN EXCELSIS DEO 9/1 WIN who had put up two fine-placed efforts here at Cheltenham before looking very unlucky at Sandown last time when unseating at the last.
16:50 The Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) (Registered As The Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle)
The penultimate race of the day is one of the newer races at the Cheltenham Festival and it is the Mares Novices Hurdle sponsored by Ryanair.
This race has only been run eight times so trend spotting is a bit more difficult, but one thing for sure is that trainer Willie Mullins has an amazing strike rate in the race.
We’ll take a close look once the final declarations are up, and hopefully our expert Richard Smith can point you in the right direction.
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Terms and Conditions See full terms and conditions bellow Conversion rates When we convert currencies, we consider £10 to be equal to: €10 (euro) AU$20 (Australian dollar) CA$20 (Canadian dollar) CHf15 (Swiss franc) Kr80 (Danish krone) HK$115 (Hong Kong dollar) ¥1300 (Japanese yen) Kr120 (Swedish krona) S$20 (Singapore dollar) US$10 (US dollar) 1. General restrictions a. We expect you to be fair when you take part in promotions. We consider certain types of play to be unfair and to break these terms and conditions. These unfair types of play include the following. Using ‘minimal risk wagering patterns’ (that is, a set pattern of bets or stakes that unfairly minimises risks). Using more than one account in order to get more than the number of bonuses allowed for each customer. Sharing personalised promotions (that is, promotions only available to specific customers we offer them to) with others. This includes taking part in any personalised promotion forwarded to you by someone else when it was not intended for you. Taking part in a promotion that is not available in the country you live in. Colluding with other customers (that is, plotting with others to gain an unfair advantage). Using more than one account per person, per household or per IP address. b. If you take part in any play that we consider to be unfair, we may cancel any bonuses or promotions applied to your account, reclaim any bonus you have received as part of any promotion we have cancelled, and either: settle bets at the correct odds, not the bonus or promotion odds; void any free bets or bets funded by a bonus (that is, treat them as if they had never been placed); or remove any winnings relating to any bonus. 2. General conditions a. Regardless of anything else set out in these terms and conditions, you can withdraw funds from your main balance at any time, except where we must withhold the funds to meet our legal or regulatory obligations. b. You cannot take part in this promotion if we have previously banned you from taking part in promotions, or from betting or playing any games on our website. c. We can withhold or refuse to pay any winnings from a bonus if funds you paid into your main balance (including any amounts you have already used) are cancelled or denied by any payment service (for example, your card provider). d. We can change or cancel this promotion, or change these terms and conditions: without giving you notice, if the change or cancellation is needed because of any change in law or regulation; or by giving you notice beforehand, if the change or cancellation is for any other valid reason (for example, if there is a fault in the software or systems we use to provide this promotion, or we identify a mistake in this promotion or these terms and conditions). We can also award an equivalent bonus to the one referred to in this promotion. e. We will not be responsible for any technical, hardware or software failures, or any unavailable or lost network conditions which may result in incorrect information being displayed, or affect your ability to enter or take part in the promotion. If there is any dispute over your eligibility for the promotion, our decision will be final. f. Your use of our website, and your gaming or betting, is governed by our terms and conditions of using our website or telebetting service (the general terms). You must read the general terms and these terms and conditions before you take part in this promotion. If any of these terms and conditions conflict with the general terms, these terms and conditions will apply. g. These terms and conditions are governed by, and interpreted in line with, the laws of England and Wales. Any legal action in connection with these terms and conditions will be dealt with in the courts of England and Wales h. This promotion is offered, managed and made available on our website (williamhill.com) by us, WHG (International) Limited.
https://sports.williamhill.com/
William Hill PLC
1934
William Hill Global PLC, Tagliaferro Business Centre, Level 7, High Street, Sliema SLM 1549, Malta
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
FORM PICK
The Mares Hurdle and the Gordon Elliot trained Brighterdaysahead 11/8 is your favourite here. A five-time winner and winning by 12 lengths last time, this one will be very tough to beat.
However, she has not met DYSART ENOS 4/1 WIN who is also unbeaten and this one gets the nod from a value perspective, and trained by Fergal O’Brien, there is plenty to like about her chance today. This is her first foray into Graded Stakes company but she looks a superstar in the making.
17:30 The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup (Sponsored by The JRL Group) Handicap Steeple Chase (0-145)
The final race of the day is the amateur riders Gold Cup. This race which is named after one racing and one military legend has been a part of the festival for many years and always throws up a fantastic finish.
Run over three miles and two furlongs, you need a true stayer to win the race and that is what we will be looking for from our expert Richard Smith as he tries to give you a couple against the field.
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UK Gambling Commission under account number 39544. Licensed by the Gibraltar Government and regulated by the Gibraltar Gambling Commissioner (RGL no. 036 & 038)
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Applies to Horse and Greyhound Racing bets only. Does not apply to virtual racing. All selections must run for the Bonus to apply. Offer applies to win bets & win part of E/W bets. 3 x the odds to one winner on Lucky 15s with no other winner on the bet. 4 x the odds to one winner on Lucky 31s with no other winner on the bet. 5 x the odds to one winner on Lucky 63s with no other winner on the bet. Bets placed using free bets do not qualify. All bonus payments are paid on winnings, no bonus is paid on stakes. All bonus payments are at Betfred.com’s discretion and can be amended or withdrawn at any time if we believe fraudulent or suspicious activity has taken place. Betfred reserve the right to exclude certain customers from this offer at our discretion due to internal risk policies and/or account staking restrictions. General Betfred.com rules apply, see website for details. Gamble responsibly. For more info visit www.begambleaware.org or telephone Freephone Helpline: 0808 8020 133
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Petfre (Gibraltar) Limited
1967
5/2 Waterport Place, Gibraltar,
RACE ANALYSIS & SELECTIONS
FORM PICK
The last race of the day is the Amateurs Gold Cup, the Fulke Walwyn/Kim Muir and the favourite for this is Inothewayyouthinking 5/2 which is mighty short for a race of this nature. Trained by Gavin Cromwell for JP McManus, its clear this one has already been well punted, and was not disgraced in a Grade 3 handicap last time when finishing 9th of 25. Add to that he has the services of Derek O’Connor and a lot of the boxes are ticked.
However, we want to try and find some more value and our two against the field are ANNUAL INVICTUS 28/1 EW and CITY CHIEF 25/1 EW.
Final Thoughts
From the racing perspective, it’s all about Teahupoo in the Stayers Hurdle to see if he can improve on his placed position in last year’s race. He has the class, but will have to fend off some of the old stalwarts to hit the winners enclosure.
