Cheltenham 2026 day 3 preview

 Lining up again after a nice couple of winners yesterday.

THURSDAY

We change course to the New track today, which might change tactics a little bit. Over the first two days, it's been very much leader/pace-based.  This track will have been watered, so expect it to be marginally slower, but the weather forecast today is for strong winds and a little bit of drizzle. No significant rain expected until this evening. The strong winds - gusts of 40-45mph - will be almost head-on in the home straight, not great for front runners. And the configuration of the new track (longer run-in from the final obstacles) also plays on jockeys' minds. 

MARES NOVICE

Prepared to take on the favourite here. Beaten on hurdle debut, and what did she beat last time?

Carrigmoornaspruce, Manganese, Bambino Fever, Echoing Silence

JACK RICHARDS CHASE

Gold Dancer didn't stay three miles in heavy going last time at Navan and drops back to a handicap on much firmer ground. And he drops from Grade 1/2 racing (defeats behind Romeo Coolio, Final Demand and Oscars Brother last three starts), down to a handicap. I don't know the 7lb amateur jockey aboard, but she has ridden winners in two of her last five races. Roughie with a chance.

Regent's Stroll baffles me. A very good horse but has let me down a couple of times. In eight jumps starts, he's been favourite seven times and only won three (each at 4/11 or shorter). Nicholls at Cheltenham isn't the huge tick it was a decade ago. Will let him go at the odds.

Jordans Cross has won three (and could have been four if he hadn't fallen at the last) this season over fences, but never by much. Lovely type, very honest - never worse than second when completing the course, and can come from behind (may be important in the wind). Weight looks manageable, still has upside.

Meetmebythesea has been tipped up by plenty on the preview circuit, won his first two over fences before getting stuck in the deep conditions in the Game Spirit, finishing last behind Lulamba in higher grade. McManus, handicap, getting bored of this. Will let him go at the odds.

Ben Solo unseated at his last start when was likely to go close, and was first and second in his previous two runs. Gets in lightly here and switches from a claimer to a strong senior jockey. Might be a sneaky one at a big price.

VERDICT

Jordans Cross, Ben Solo, Gold Dancer, The Bluesman

MARES HURDLE

Wodhooh SHOULD have lengths on these but the stable form this week is atrocious. Only Favoriti de Champdou has finished in the same postcode as the winner. (Cue an avalance of winners for Elliott over final two days...)

Jade De Grugy has enough on the board to win this. Ran second to Lossiemouth at level weights in this last season, and we saw what she did on Tuesday. The previous year she ran fourth behind Golden Ace and Brighterdaysahead, who were both in the Champion Hurdle this week. She's taken a while to get going this campaign but won a G2 at Thurles by 18L last time. Would rather back the winning stable than the one severely underperforming. 

Jade De Grugy, Feet Of A Dancer, Wodhooh

STAYERS HURDLE

Can't have Teahupoo, he's been favourite the last three years and only won once. Kabral Du Mathan and Ma Shantou are the new star staying hurdlers and should fight this out. Old Bob Olinger is very honest, even if he's long in the tooth now, and Impose Toi will enjoy the firmer ground.

Kabral Du Mathan, Ma Shantou, Bob Olinger

RYANAIR CHASE

Fact To File just wins, has plenty on this lot. I don't see any genuine reason for a morning drift, expect that reverse later in the day.

Fact To File, Impaire Et Passe, Jonbon.

PERTEMPS FINAL

Throwing darts here, this race is always full of horses who have been laid out for it, and never showing their full hand early in the season.

Electric Mason ran second in a qualifier here in October behind Ma Shantou and followed it up with a rich handicap win at Haydock in November.

Ace of Spades might be the Skelton second string but has solid enough form.

Supremely West is the talking horse in this one, tipped up by many pundits in previews, obviously the leadup form has been tightly controlled. You want to dismiss him on form but we saw what the stable did with Madara on Tuesday, it never looked like losing. 

Lavida Adiva has run in Grade 2 races at her last two starts, the bigger field here will create more of a genuine tempo and get her going. It seems whenever Brian Hughes is aboard, she should be taken seriously. 

Onewaywest near the bottom of the weights could be the blowout chance. Was destined to be in the finish at Kempton on Boxing Day when falling at the last, and his results around that are solid - two wins and two seconds from four starts. Has a very promising conditional jockey aboard who has a 25% win strike rate and claims a very handy 7lbs. Might just be out of his depth but worth throwing some small change at him.

VERDICT

Onewaywest, Lavida Adiva, Supremely West, Ace of Spades

KIM MUIR

Jeriko Du Reponet - ran second in the Pertemps Final Hurdle last year as a heavily-backed favourite, then overturned that result against Doddiethegreat at Punchestown six weeks later. In three Chase runs since, he's been beaten each time, but against higher class opposition - finishing behind Jax Junior (4th in the Arkle), Regent's Stroll (fav today for the Jack Richards Chase) and Salver (3rd in the Brown Advisory yesterday). Notably, he ran with cheekpieces in the showpiece events last season, but hasn't worn them since...until today. That might be enough to tune him up - they were clearly the best runs of his career with the headgear.

Herakles Westwood won here on New Year's Day in a race which fell apart a bit, only four of the eight finished with the two joint favourites among those not completing. While that has been his best career run to date, the stable still thought he needed a wind operation, so perhaps there's more to come yet.

Waterford Whispers is none from six over fences but given the connections, I'd not be scared off by that. Ran second in the Martin Pipe two seasons ago as favourite so handicap plots have been on the agenda for this one since the start of his career. Ran a close third in a strong handicap at the DRF, ensuring he did enough to get his choice of Festival handicaps to run in. Stable form is slightly concerning, just one win in 29 runners over the past fortnight. So far at the Festival, de Bromhead has had eight runners finish between fourth and sixth without any placings, let alone wins. Only three have been at single-figure odds and the majority of runners in handicaps though. Solid chance.

Road To Home ran well earlier in the season over fences, finishing close up with big weights but then hated the heavy going at Leopardstown when switched back to hurdles during the Dublin Racing Festival. That looks a very obvious attempt to keep him fit without affecting his handicap for this race. Paul Mullins goes back aboard, sneaky chance.

Kim Roque - the youngest runner in the field who was bought out of France last summer. In three runs for Joseph O'Brien, they've played the long game and progressed with a second & fourth here, then a close-up fifth in the same race as Waterford Whispers at the DRF. Steps up in trip and the slower tempo might be of benefit. Worthy of consideration.

Ask Brewster has won four of five on good tracks or firmer, which may be of interest if the overnight rain hasn't eventuated. The jockey might be too inexperienced for this as a 7lb claimer but if he's any good, he gets in very lightly. Has changed trainer this week (to Mrs Williams) because it looks like Mr Williams is going to jail...

Hung Jury - absolute bolter who has won two out of three here. Has run shockers at his last two but form before that was strong enough, including winning an Amateur Jockeys race here under the same rider.

VERDICT

Road To Home, Waterford Whispers, Hung Jury, Jeriko Du Reponet