The third day of Cheltenham Festival is shaping up to be a belter on St Patrick’s Thursday. 

Here, Daily Mail Sport brings you our expert racing tips, featuring a selection, main danger and live outsider for each race…

Teahupoo will be contesting the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle for the fourth straight year

RYANAIR MARES’ NOVICES’ HURDLE

1.20: GRADE TWO — 2 MILES, 1 FURLONG

Last season’s Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever holds strong claims now dropping in grade.

The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old lost her unbeaten record when finishing second to the reopposing Oldschool Outlaw on her hurdling debut in December.

That day her rival had the benefit of race fitness after winning a bumper a month earlier. A 12-length winner at Fairyhouse in January, Bambino Fever looks capable of providing Mullins with a record sixth win in the race.

Carrigmoornaspruce appears the main danger to the selection. She was beaten just five lengths by Skylight Hustle in the Grade One Future Champions Novice Hurdle when facing the geldings.

Owner Kenny Alexander has an excellent record with his mares at this Festival and he runs Echoing Silence.

SELECTION: BAMBINO FEVER… 6-5 

MAIN DANGER: CARRIGMOORNASPRUCE… 12-1

LIVE OUTSIDER: ECHOING SILENCE… 16-1

JACK RICHARDS NOVICES’ CHASE

2.00: HANDICAP — 2 MILES 4½ FURLONGS 

The form of the Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase from Trials Day was given a boost when Quebecois was third in the Ultima on Tuesday.

As a result, his conqueror that day, Jordans Cross, appears well treated from a mark only 6lb higher. He is unlucky not to be unbeaten in four starts over fences, having fallen when travelling well over this course and distance at the November meeting behind stablemate Kdeux Saint Fray. Both are trained by Anthony Honeyball, with the latter sneaking into the race at the foot of the weights.

Regent’s Stroll represents the same connections as Caldwell Potter, who won this race last season. His runner-up effort here on Trials Day has been boosted by both the winner and third since, and he looks to hold strong claims.

SELECTION: JORDANS CROSS… 6-1

MAIN DANGER: REGENT’S STROLL… 9-2

LIVE OUTSIDER: KDEUX SAINT FRAY… 18-1

CLOSE BROTHERS MARES’ HURDLE

2.40: GRADE ONE — 2 MILES, 4½ FURLONGS 

Gordon Elliott had to wait until the final race of last year’s Festival to get on the scoresheet with Wodhooh — and she looks to hold outstanding claims of gaining a first Grade One success in this contest.

The six-year-old has won nine of her 10 starts over hurdles, two of which came over this course and distance last season.

A rating of 154 leaves her 4lb clear of Jade De Grugy, who finished runner-up in this race last year behind Champion Hurdle heroine Lossiemouth. She reverts back from novice chasing to run here.

Trainer Paul Nolan has brought his biggest team yet to the Festival this year and one of his leading hopes is Feet Of A Dancer, who has won two of her three starts this season and finished runner-up to Wodhooh on her other outing.

SELECTION: WODHOOH… 4-5

MAIN DANGER: JADE DE GRUGY… 5-2

LIVE OUTSIDER: FEET OF A DANCER… 10-1

PADDY POWER STAYERS’ HURDLE

3.20: GRADE ONE — 3 MILES

The last two winners of this race renew their rivalry, with the 2024 scorer Teahupoo more strongly fancied than Bob Olinger.

This will be the fourth straight year that Teahupoo has contested the race. Gordon Elliott’s nine-year-old has finished in the first two on all eight of his starts since December 2023 and produced a career-best performance on ratings when defeating Bob Olinger by seven lengths in the Grade One Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Emma Lavelle trained Paisley Park to win this in 2019 and Ma Shantou has followed a similar path to that star. A seven-length victory over the reopposing Impose Toi in the Cleeve Hurdle earned him a rating of 154, but supporters of the runner-up will be hoping a swing in the weights can help him close the gap — or even reverse the form.

SELECTION: TEAHUPOO… 7-2

MAIN DANGER: MA SHANTOU… 13-2

LIVE OUTSIDER: IMPOSE TOI… 11-1

PERTEMPS NETWORK FINAL HURDLE 

4.40: HANDICAP — 3 MILES

Electric Mason may have seen the form of his reappearance runner-up effort boosted earlier in the day, when Ma Shantou runs in the Stayers’ Hurdle.

He was beaten just under three lengths by that rival at Cheltenham in October, with the reopposing Supremely West in third.

Electric Mason went on to land the Betfair Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle at Haydock on his next start off 132 and looks deserving of the 7lb rise he received. With Ma Shantou now rated 25lb higher than he was here in October, both Electric Mason and Supremely West, now rated 2lb lower, appear to hold claims.

Staffordshire Knot represents Gordon Elliott, who won this race three years in succession between 2018 and 2020. He arrives on the back of a career-best display when taking the Boyne Hurdle.

SELECTION: ELECTRIC MASON… 11-1

MAIN DANGER: SUPREMELY WEST… 7-2

LIVE OUTSIDER: STAFFORDSHIRE KNOT… 20-1

FULKE WALWYN KIM MUIR CHASE

5.20: HANDICAP — 3 MILES, 2½ FURLONGS

Six-time Cheltenham Festival-winning rider Derek O’Connor has twice won this race on horses at the head of the weights. Jeriko Du Reponet’s connections will be hoping he can do the same on their charge. 

The selection was runner-up in the Pertemps at last year’s Festival last season when fitted with first-time cheekpieces, while all four of his four chase starts have come without headgear. The cheekpieces are reapplied here. Herakles Westwood could prove the biggest danger. 

Finny Maguire, who partnered him when finishing second at the November meeting at this course, is back on board. Daily Present beat Johnnywho when winning this race last year and that rival won the Ultima on Tuesday. His two starts this season have come over hurdles and he could outrun his odds.

SELECTION: JERIKO DU REPONET… 10-3

MAIN DANGER: HERAKLES WESTWOOD… 9-1

LIVE OUTSIDER: DAILY PRESENT… 6-1

THE WIZARD OF ODDS

By Chris Baker 

STAYERS’ HURDLE

– Rating: 16 of the last 17 winners have been rated 152+.

– Last time out: 11 of the last 12 winners finished in the top four last time out. Of those, five won their last race. 

– Betting: 15 of the last 17 winners had a starting price of 14-1 or shorter. There have been six winning favourites in that time.

– Age: 10 of the last 12 winners were aged six, seven or eight years old.

– Trainer: Two of the last three renewals have been won by Gordon Elliott-trained horses.

VERDICT: Teahupoo is hard to oppose given his Cheltenham record and recent form, but slight preference on trends is for the lightly raced.

HONESTY POLICY Gordon Elliott’s six-year-old landed the Grade One Mersey Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree in April before being narrowly denied when stepped up in trip at Punchestown later in the same month. He ran well in his only start this season, finishing a close third in the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot.

He comes to Cheltenham fresh, open to plenty more improvement and could be the next star in the staying ranks.

4.00: RYANAIR CHASE

– Rating: 16 of the last 17 winners have been rated 161+. 

– Age: 16 of the last 17 winners were aged seven, eight or nine years old.

– Last time out: Nine of the last 12 winners finished in the top three last time out.

– Betting: 14 of the last 17 winners came from the top three in the market.

– Trainer: Eight of the last 10 winners have been trained by Willie Mullins (6) or Henry de Bromhead (2).

VERDICT: The Willie Mullins pair Fact To File and Impaire Et Passe come out best on trends. Fact To File was an impressive winner of the race last year and comes into this in fine form, having landed the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown last month.

However, he is set to go off at short odds today, so a chance is taken on stablemate IMPAIRE ET PASSE at a more attractive price. A classy hurdler, including a Grade One victory as a novice at the 2023 Festival, he has now won two races at the top level since switching to the larger obstacles. He completed his preparation for today with a victory in the Grade Two Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park last month.

PLACEPOT  

Last year’s Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever looks to be a placepot banker, and it is hard to see stablemate Jade De Grugy finishing outside the first two places later on the card. The last leg looks the trickiest, so three selections are recommended.

RACE ONE: (3) BAMBINO FEVER

RACE TWO: (2) SIXMILEBRIDGE (4) REGENT’S STROLL

RACE THREE: (3) JADE DE GRUGY

RACE FOUR: (7) HONESTY POLICY (11) TEAHUPOO

RACE FIVE: (5) IMPAIRE ET PASSE (3) FACT TO FILE

RACE SIX: (7) SUPREMELY WEST (8) ABSOLUTELY DOYEN (3) ELECTRIC MASON

1 x 2 x 1 x 2 x 2 x 3 = 24 LINE