Cheltenham Festival Day 3: Best Bets For Thursday at the Festival

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Willie made it another great day, rounding it off in the bumper with his 100th Cheltenham Festival winner, which is some going. There won't be as good of celebrations for the Mullins team as El Fabiolo was pulled up in the Champion Chase, being the first real hot pot to boil over at this year's Festival.

Dan Skelton did Dan Skelton things and got a quickfire double on the day with Langer Dan and Unexpected Party. The latter was a winning 16/1 selection put up yesterday and he is just very good at conning the handicapper, and that is why Langer Dan has managed to win a second Coral Cup. Whether or not you think it's a great training performance, you can't fool the public now, he is swindling the handicapping system and if it's there to be done, then crack on with it, but it's not a great look though.

All of my detailed previews for Day 3 at the Cheltenham Festival can be found below.

• 13:30 – Turners Novices' Chase
• 14:10 – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle
• 14:50 – Ryanair Chase
• 15:30 – Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle
• 16:10 – TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase
• 16:50 – Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle
• 17:30 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys' Handicap Chase

13:30 – Turners Novices' Chase

The more I look at this race, the more I think Djelo has a decent chance. Obviously taking on the Irish in the Grade 1 races isn't the smartest of things to do, but their runners in this race don't look as strong as they have done over the years, so I'm more than happy to go with a British runner. Djelo stood out to me as the horse who could be running up the hill strongly, especially on testing ground and if they go a good gallop.

Full race preview:

• 13:30 – Turners Novices' Chase

14:10 – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle

Le Milos will have to go against recent history to win this at the age of 9, with the last winner being 8yo+ was back in 2011, but I do think he has a squeak in this. We all know how good a target trainer Dan Skelton is, he has shown it time and time again, even at the Cheltenham Festival when winning the county hurdle 3x and the Coral Cup last year he is mustard with the handicap hurdles, not only at Cheltenham but everywhere in the UK.

This race hasn't been won by the great Willie Mullins, but he doesn't send many horses for it, so it's not a great surprise. In the last ten years, he has had two runners in this race, 7th in 2021 and 14th in 2017, but I don't think either of those had the same chance as Icare Allen does. I think that is a great bit of placing by Willie to send him over to Aintree to get qualified as the Irish races are normally big fields and trying to gently ease him into the top four can be hard.

Full race preview:

• 14:10 – Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle

14:50 – Ryanair Chase

Envoi Allen rolled back the years when winning this race last year and I think he has another cracking chance of winning it again. He was the horse on everybody's lips just a few years ago, but since leaving Gordon Elliott the bubble did burst. However, Henry De Bromhead got him back to winning ways and he showed his class when powering up the hill last year.

Full race preview:

• 14:50 – Ryanair Chase

15:30 – Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle

If I wasn't to back Sire Du Berlais and he was to win, I would be crying myself to sleep for the rest of the year, so I am sticking with my old friend who dug me out of the dumps last year when landing this race at odds of 33/1. The more I look at this race, the more I think he is being overlooked yet again.

Full race preview:

• 15:30 – Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle

16:10 – TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase

Crebilly has been one of the most well-backed horses of the week and even antepost in the handicaps for the Cheltenham Festival and though he is touching the short side, I think he just wins, if escaping any blunders or inconveniences. We talk about finding well-handicapped horses in handicaps like this, well this lad is the perfect description of that.

I do love an outsider at the Festival and I'm going to be giving a chance to Ciel De Neige. Ben Haslam has acquired this horse from Willie Mullins, but is still owned by JP McManus, and over the years the Haslam stable has been the retirement home for JP's horses, with them landing the occasional gamble with horses falling right down the handicap. This horse seems a bit different and it's interesting that they are coming to the Cheltenham Festival.

Full race preview:

• 16:10 – TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase

16:50 – Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle

A horse I've been sweet on for this race since she has been running in bumpers is Brighterdaysahead. I really do think this horse is a machine and a wonder mare for the future. The way she came into the racing scene in her bumper debut was very impressive, she has done little wrong since moving over to hurdles, winning 3/3 and her latest win in a Listed race whilst carrying a penalty was flawless.

Full race preview:

• 16:50 – Ryanair Mares' Novices' Hurdle

17:30 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys' Handicap Chase

I'm having two darts at this race and my first fancy is an old selection of the thread, Rapper. Over the last few years this horse has been laid out for a big run around New Year's Day, but this year he didn't make an appearance until the Classic Chase at Warwick which was a very poor performance. I was more than happy to give him another chance the time after at Ascot where he finished 2nd at odds of 18/1 and with an extra furlong, or even a few extra yards he probably would've won.

Where It All Began is my second fancy for the final race of Day 3. This horse put a dampener on me the last time he ran as he beat my strongly fancied runner, We'llhavewan in the Grand National Trial. That was a seriously strong staying performance and to beat the runner-up by 16L, who was clearly a non-stayer, was visually very impressive and with him still being unexposed at this trip he is a huge player for me in this race.

Full race preview:

• 17:30 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys' Handicap Chase

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