Cheltenham Festival Day 3 - Thursday 12th March 2026

About Cheltenham Festival Day 3

Day three of the Cheltenham Festival kicks off at 13:20 with the Mares' Novices' Hurdle, a race which at first was all about Willie Mullins but has in recent years seen differing connections have their day in the sun.

At 14:00 is the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase, which is a handicap over 2 miles 4 furlongs exclusive to novice chasers. This race has replaced the intermediate novice Grade 1, which was the Turners Novices Chase before being removed from the schedule in 2025.

Third up is the Mares Hurdle where Lossiemouth could be one of the bankers of the meeting should she line up against her own sex rather than in the Champion Hurdle.

The Stayers' Hurdle is the feature race on the third day of the Cheltenham Festival, and the third of five 'Championship' races during the week. Teahupoo is well fancied to win as he was last year when he was beaten by Bob Olinger. Can he turn the tables on the older runner?

The second of the two 'Championship' races on the day is the Ryanair Chase, which regularly proves to be one of the most exciting races of the entire week. Gaelic Warrior, Fact To File and Jonbon all feature prominently in the antepost betting and if they all turned up, this would be a real race to look forward to.

Next up is the Pertemps Final - always one of the most competitive races of the week. And the final race on the card on day three is the Kim Muir, a race for amateur riders that is run over a trip of three and a quarter miles.