Cheltenham Festival 2024: winners, ideas, news and more on day three – live | Cheltenham Festival 2024

It’s Teahupoo and 50-1 Buddy One who maintain tempo with Flooring Porter, and the pre-race favorite will get an edge over the past fence and outlasts the previous winner down the straight. Home By The Lee comes by means of to take third place.

Greg Wood

5.30 Fulke Walwyn/Kim Muir Handicap Chase

A discipline of 24 runners and newbie riders for the getting-out race, and a surprisingly heat favorite within the circumstances with Inothewayurthinkin at present buying and selling at round 9-4. He ticks loads of containers, as Gavin Cromwell has a tremendous Festival report already and Derek O’Connor is among the greatest amateurs within the sport, however that is fairly the check for a horse with solely 4 begins over fences within the ebook.

His brief value does be certain that each-way choices abound, nonetheless, and Angels Dawn – final yr’s winner off an 11lb decrease mark – is definitely amongst them, together with Where It All Began, and the veteran Cloudy Glen, with Lucy Turner, profitable on the 40-1 shot Chambard two years in the past, holding the reins. Daily Present, a 14-1 probability yesterday, has additionally been attracting help, and is one other that goes to publish with a particular probability underneath main point-to-point rider, Jack Hendrick. Selection: Daily Present.

Another win for the Skeltons – and one other for part-owner Sir Alex Ferguson – as Protektorat takes the lead approaching the final fence and holds off the problem of Envoi Allen.

Greg Wood

4.50 Mares’ Novice Hurdle

Betterdaysahead is now an odds-on favorite for this race following the bitterly disappointing news that Fergal O’Brien’s Dysart Enos, who was unbeaten in six begins underneath Rules and was anticipated to set off as a powerful third-favourite, has been dominated out after pulling up barely lame this morning. Gordon Elliott has made little secret of his excessive regard for the five-year-old within the run-up to this assembly, and an unbeaten report after 5 begins speaks for itself, however Jade De Grugy has additionally emerged as a really live contender for the Willie Mullins steady and there may be little or no to decide on between the pair on scores. Jade De Grugy, in truth, arguably has more scope for progress after simply two begins over timber, and seems to be the higher guess at round 2-1. Selection: Jade De Grugy.

Greg Wood

4.10 Plate Handicap Chase

Another Festival handicap with no finish of prospects to ponder, and not practically sufficient time to record all of them. Crebilly, although, is kind of weak out there this morning, having been put in as a transparent favorite when the weights had been revealed a fortnight in the past, and the cash has all been for Richard Bandey’s Theatre Man, who completed just below three lengths behind Ginny’s Destiny in a handicap right here in January. A giant run from Ginny’s Destiny within the opener would little question see his value shrink additional nonetheless, however he was getting 13lb from the winner there and is up one other 3lb within the scores in the present day.

Arctic Bresil, for the in-form Henry de Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore combo, is one other novice getting loads of consideration out there, whereas Il Ridoto and the Harry Redknapp-owned Shakem Up’Arry are each course-and-distance winners in with a critical shout. I’m with Harry Fry’s In Excelsis Deo, who will admire the step again as much as two-and-a-half miles and has typically seemed like a winner-in-waiting this season, not least when unseating on the final at Sandown final time with victory inside attain. Selection: In Excelsis Deo.

Up the hill, Kyntara begins to open up a lead over Bold Endeavour, with 25-1 shot Monmiral coming by means of as we method the final. Cuthbert Dibble continues to be in rivalry however fading – and Monmiral catches Kyntara to seize victory by a size!

Greg Wood

3.30 Stayers’ Hurdle

The final result that each racegoer at Cheltenham will hope to see right here is for Paisley Park, the winner in 2019, to return residence protected and sound after what appears prone to be the ultimate run of a memorable profession. He is at present solely 16-1 to do a lot more than that, nonetheless, and carry down the curtain with a second victory on this race on his seventh journey to the Festival. He warmed up for his sixth begin on this race with a slim defeat behind Noble Yeats, the 2022 Grand National winner, within the Cleeve Hurdle on the Trials assembly right here in January, and because the winner there may be solely round 7-1 for in the present day’s race, some will see Emma Lavelle’s 12-year-old as the worth guess within the race.

That was solely Noble Yeats’s third profession begin over hurdles, nonetheless, and he’s entitled to seek out additional enchancment for the expertise, and each a stronger tempo and softer floor are prone to play to his strengths. Crambo, unraced since profitable the Grade One Long Walk at Ascot simply earlier than Christmas, can be one other in style winner as his coach, Fergal O’Brien, has but to register a winner at this assembly, whereas different runners prone to appeal to help embody two more earlier winners in Sire Du Berlais and Flooring Porter, however the seemingly favorite is Teahupoo, third final yr after a barely unlucky run within the straight. Selection: Noble Yeats.

Greg Wood

2.50 Ryanair Chase

The first of the day’s two Grade One occasions, and a extremely aggressive one too, with Envoi Allen, final yr’s winner, at present 5-2 favorite for a repeat success, forward of Banbridge (5-1) and Stage Star (11-2). All three are earlier winners at this assembly, and Envoi Allen can be a fourth consecutive winner of this for Cheveley Park Stud, his proprietor, following successes for Willie Mullins’s Allaho in 2021 and 2022.

Banbridge, in the meantime, took the Martin Pipe Conditionals’ Handicap Hurdle two years in the past – a race that was gained by Galopin Des Champs, final season’s Gold Cup winner, in 2021 – whereas Stage Star landed the Turners on the high of the Thursday card 12 months in the past. They face a posse of runners with sturdy kind in a single or more of the two-and-a-half mile handicap chases that function on the massive conferences earlier within the yr, together with Fugitif and Ga Law, and Dan Skelton’s Protektorat, third and fifth within the final two runnings of the Gold Cup. Selection: Envoi Allen.

Grey Dawning and Ginny’s Destiny go away Djelo behind, and it seems to be a two-horse race to the road. Facile Vega is pushing for a spot, however on the final, Grey Dawning begins to drag away after the final fence – and holds on to win regardless of a decided push from from his outdated rival down the house straight! Djelo comes residence in third to finish a really welcome British 1-2-3 in a Grade One race.

Greg Wood

2.10 Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle

This ought to, in idea a minimum of, be one of many more simple Festival handicaps to unravel, as a top-four end in one of many 20 qualifying races throughout the first a part of the season is required to ebook a spot within the closing discipline. The incontrovertible fact that there have been simply three profitable favourites this century tells a unique story, nonetheless, and this yr’s renewal is as aggressive as they arrive. There has been cash this morning for Nigel Twiston-Davies’s Cuthbert Dibble, who arrives on a hat-trick, and he’s now vying for favouritism with Dan Skelton’s Le Milos, who bids to present his coach a 3rd handicap winner at this week’s assembly.

Gordon Elliott’s Cleatus Poolaw – who trivia buffs could be to know is known as after probably the most embellished native American to serve within the US Army – ran effectively into an in depth second on his handicap debut within the Naas qualifier in final February, however he’s up one other 9lb right here, and whereas he stays lightly-raced, that may very well be a difficult additional burden to beat. At least a dozen more are worthy of inclusion on any shortlist, however I’ll be having a small curiosity in Farouk D’Alene, a steady companion of Cleatus Poolaw, at round 20-1.

He is lightly-raced for a nine-year-old, having missed a season-and-a-half after a fall within the Grade One Brown Advisory Novice Chase right here two years in the past, and ran effectively to complete second when despatched again over hurdles within the Leopardstown qualifier in December. He is ready to hold high weight, however wouldn’t be the primary horse by any means to run effectively on this race from the highest of the handicap, and he additionally has Rob James, among the finest amateurs within the enterprise, taking off 7lb. Selection: Farouk D’Alene.

Greg Wood

1.30 Turners Novice Chase Preview

Having landed the Arkle on Tuesday and the Brown Advisory yesterday, Willie Mullins is seeking to full a clear sweep of the assembly’s Grade One novice chases right here with Facile Vega, the seemingly favorite however at a working particular person’s value of round 9-4 having been overwhelmed in his final two races. Gaelic Warrior, in fact, shrugged off a last-time defeat within the Arkle two days in the past, and Facile Vega too additionally has very sturdy course kind, having gained the Bumper right here in 2022 earlier than ending second to Marine Nationale in final yr’s Supreme Novice Hurdle. He is stepping up in journey right here, nonetheless, and faces a few very sturdy opponents in Grey Dawning and Ginny’s Destiny.

Grey Dawning will bid to present Dan Skelton his third winner of the week, and his first in a Festival Grade One since 2019, and arrives on the again of a career-best in a Grade Two at Doncaster in January. He also needs to in all probability be on a four-timer, having gone down solely narrowly to Ginny’s Destiny on the Old course right here in December, having made a momentum-sapping error on the second-last. Selection: Grey Dawning

Preamble

Greg Wood

Good morning from Cheltenham, the place the going is bettering ever-so-slightly earlier than the third day of this yr’s Festival assembly.

After two days on the Old course, the motion switches to the New course for the second half of the assembly and the recent floor is at present described as delicate, albeit with some rain anticipated throughout the day.

All floor and programs appear to return alike to Willie Mullins’s horses, in fact, and having celebrated his a centesimal winner on the assembly – an achievement that will have been extensively considered inconceivable 1 / 4 of a century in the past – he can now flip his consideration to the non-public report of 10 winners at a single Festival, which he set in 2022.

Mullins doesn’t have fairly the identical firepower to muster as he did on the primary two days, and the shortest-priced members of his Thursday workforce are Facile Vega and Jade De Grugy, each on provide at round 2-1 for the Turners Novice Chase (1.30pm) and Mares’ Novice Hurdle (4.50pm), respectively.

He has a lot with an each-way probability scattered throughout the seven races, nonetheless, and Ireland ought to safe the 4 wins required to carry the Prestbury Cup earlier than the afternoon is out. Gordon Elliott might be hoping to chip in to the full – Betterdaysahead, the favorite for the Mares’ Novice Hurdle, is his greatest probability to get off the mark for the week – whereas Rachael Blackmore, one in all solely three riders to have ridden more than a single winner up to now, has a favorite’s probability aboard Envoi Allen within the Ryanair at 2.50pm,

The second we’ll all be hoping to see, in the meantime, is the vastly in style Paisley Park ending his profession with a second win within the Stayers’ Hurdle. He is a 16-1 shot, however a lot stranger issues have occurred right here prior to now.

In different news this morning, Nicky Henderson’s depressing Festival continues and he has now been pressured to rule out Sir Gino, the favorite, from tomorrow’s Triumph Hurdle. Shanagh Bob, who was because of contest the Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle on the identical card, has additionally been dominated out

For the second a minimum of, Henderson has seven runners declared to run over the subsequent couple of days – however solely No Ordinary Joe, in tomorrow’s Martin Pipe Conditionals’ Handicap Hurdle, is priced up at lower than 25-1.

My picks for the third day are right here, and you may, as at all times, observe all of the news, views and motion right here on the Guardian’s liveblog, and we might be underneath approach on the monitor at 1.30pm.