Looking towards the Cheltenham Festival, OddsMonkey is creating guides that cover all the different aspects of the incredibly popular horse racing meeting! With guides on different offers and tips, we are also taking a deeper dive into all of the days throughout the four-day festival, with this specific guide being based on the third day! Throughout the Cheltenham Festival, we will have a look at what races are scheduled to go ahead, what types of races these are, who the favourites and decent picks are in each race, and who the last winners of the races are.
Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Overview
The third and second-last day of the Cheltenham Festival is set to take place on Thursday, the 13th of March. The third day is named after the Irish holiday St Patrick’s Day, and this day is named St Patrick’s Thursday. With the holiday being on the 17th of March, the Thursday of Cheltenham is always named after the holiday as a way to celebrate all things Irish, as many of the trainers, jockeys and horse racing fans are from Ireland. Just like the other days, there are 7 races that are set to go ahead throughout the third day, with the most notable events taking place at both 15:20 and 16:00 (GMT). The most prestigious race of the day is the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, which takes place across 3 miles and is a Grade 1 event. Here are the seven races that are set to take place across the third day of the Cheltenham Festival:
- Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
- Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
- Pertemps Network Final
- Ryanair Steeple Chase
- Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
- TrustATrader Plate
- Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase
With the Cheltenham Festival just around the corner, make sure to check out our Cheltenham Festival betting offers guide to find the very best offers from different bookmakers that you can take advantage of!
Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Races
Whilst Oddsmonkey is home to more general guides, such as our matched betting guides, we also take deeper dives into popular sporting events, including the Cheltenham Festival! Here, we will look at all seven of the different races taking place across day 3.
13:20 – Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Hurdle)
This particular race is one of the newest races at the Cheltenham Festival, as the first race was staged in 2016. With a distance of just over 2 miles, there are 46 runners currently set for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, with Maughreen being the favourite at 3/1 and Sixandahalf being the second favourite at 10/3.
14:00 – Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (Chase)
With last year’s winner being Grey Dawning, this race takes place across 2 miles and 4 furlongs with 17 hurdles in total. Looking ahead to this race, names such as Hagwar and Nurburgring stand out with odds of 5/1 and 8/1, respectively, whilst Springwell Bay and Firefox are both in the runners list at odds of 10/1 each.
14:40 – Pertemps Network Final (Hurdle)
Known to be the final of the 21 long-distance qualifying races that are run throughout the jumps season, the Pertemps Network Final is a race which is seen as a huge stepping stone for horses. With Monmiral winning with odds of 25/1 last year, this year’s edition sees two horses at 7/1, which are The Wallpark and Jeriko Du Reponet!
15:20 – Ryanair Steeple Chase (Chase)
Being one of the most notorious races throughout day 3, the Ryanair Steeple Chase is a Grade 1 contest, which is over 2 miles and 4 furlongs. Won by Potektorat last year, bookies have Fact to File as the favourite and a smart choice for bettors, whilst options like Il Est Francais are also interesting picks at odds of 7/2.
16:00 – Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Hurdle)
At the length of 3 miles, the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle is also another Grade 1 race and was won by Teahupoo in 2024. This year, tipsters predict a similar result, with Teahupoo being placed at evens to be victorious once again. With 12 hurdles in the race, the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle is all about stamina and skill, and in 2023, Sire Du Berlais was able to win at a price of 33/1, making this victory one of the biggest odds winners at Cheltenham Festival.
16:40 – TrustATrader Plate (Chase)
The TrustATrader Plate is a handicap race over 2 miles long, which takes place on day three of the Cheltenham Festival. With 17 hurdles throughout the course of the race, Jagwar is set at 8/1, which is the favourite odds throughout the field, with choices such as Masaccio and Crebilly set at 12/1. In 2024, at odds of 8/1, Shakem Up’arry was able to win, with jockey Ben Jones taking the finishing line first.
17:20 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase (Chase)
Being the last race of the day, the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase is a long-distance handicap race with 3 miles and 2 furlongs being the distance. It is restricted to amateur jockeys and ratings up to 145. Sa Majeste sits at the favourite, with odds of 10/1, with other horses such as Now Is The Hour and Mr Vango expected to challenge. In 2024, Inothewayurthinkin won with trainer Gavin Cromwell and Jockey Derek O’Conner.
Wrapping up day 3, there is plenty of interesting and exhilarating action expected throughout the third day of the Cheltenham Festival. OddsMonkey has also made guides for the different days of the Cheltenham Festival, so make sure to check out our Cheltenham Festival day 4 guide and our specific Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup guide!
