Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Tips 2026: A Selection In Every Race On Thursday at Cheltenham

Cheltenham Festival 2026 moves into its third afternoon on Thursday with another top-class card at Prestbury Park. The Stayers' Hurdle takes centre stage on day three, supported by major races such as the Ryanair Chase and the Pertemps Final as the meeting continues to build towards Friday’s Gold Cup climax.

Billy Grimshaw has gone through the full Thursday card and here are his Cheltenham Festival Day 3 tips for every race on day three at Cheltenham.

If you're searching for more selections across the week, you can also check out our complete Cheltenham Festival tips guide where we analyse the best betting opportunities across all four days of the meeting.

13:20 Mares' Novices' Hurdle

Kicking off Thursday for the very first time, the Mares' Novices' Hurdle has one of the week's strongest favourites set to line up and it'll be a seismic shock if BAMBINO FEVER is beaten. The 2025 Champion Bumper winner would not be out of place in Tuesday's opener the Supreme and while she has already had her colours lowered in a shock once this season, by the reopposing Old School Outlaw, that was her hurdling debut when her yard were underperforming. She was only beaten by fitness that day.

The field does not look particularly deep in behind the duo who are locking horns once more, but should Mullins have started hot on Cheltenham Day 1 & 2 Bambino Fever could be long odds-on to kick Thursday off with a bang. With her cruising speed and the finishing kick she displayed to win last time out, she is the one they all have to stop and I can see favourite backers being rewarded in race one on day three.

14:00 Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase

Although he is not confirmed for this race just yet and has other entries, and could end up being second string to a stablemate if Koktail Divin runs here, I have been sweet on SLADE STEEL for some time for this race. I do fear the favourite Koktail Divin, of course, but Henry De Bromhead has intimated they are leaning toward a tilt at the Brown Advisory particularly with the drying ground. If he is switched to the big three mile grade 1 for novices I will take that as a massive vote of confidence behind Slade Steel.

The winner of the Supreme just two years ago, things have not gone to plan over fences just yet but although last season was almost a write off, this season there have been flickers of ability and anyone who has paid the slightest bit of attention to national hunt racing knows Henry De Bromhead's stable often transform come the big spring Festivals. I'm in no doubt that Slade Steel's season has revolved around coming back to Cheltenham in peak condition and with what could look a very lenient mark post race confirmed, he is a strong each-way play in this fledgling handicap.

14:40 Mares' Hurdle

As always there are a few will they, won't they sagas taking place in the build up to Cheltenham - with most residing in a certain Irish stable - few have attracted as much headlines as LOSSIEMOUTH'S hokey-cokey between the Champion Hurdle and this race. Rich Ricci is in deference to Willie Mullins when it comes to his horse's running plans and with Mullins all about cold, hard winners I am confident she will attempt to win this race for the third consecutive season. If she does take her chance, I'm confident  she'll win again too.

Wodhooh got Gordon Elliott out of jail last season giving him a winner in the final race of the Festival and has done very little wrong this season stepping out of handicaps. She is a hardy mare and arguably the toughest horse Lossiemouth will have had to see off in this race so far, but the classy grey saves her best for this racecourse and this particular contest is tailormade for her. A repeat of her performances from the last few years may well be enough to win again, but I've a feeling she will sparkle with a better rival to beat.

15:20 Stayers' Hurdle

Teahupoo is a short priced favourite to win his second Stayers' Hurdle in four attempts, but it feels like he has been the favourite ad nauseum for this race over the last half decade and I think once again he will be left disappointed. Last season he was seen off by Bob Olinger in the same colours, with the drying ground cited as the reason for this surprise reversal but the ground may be even quicker this season so I see no reason Henry De Bromhead's horse won't repeat that form at a track he loves.

Both are, in my opinion, part of the old guard in this division and I suspect we are on the precipice of the new generation forcibly taking the crown and that could be led by Honesty Policy in Ireland and Ma Shantou in England according to the odds compilers. I'd rather be with the horse Ma Shantou beat last time out on soft IMPOSE TOI, however, at what looks a great each-way price.

Once Nico De Boinville realised Ma Shantou was not for catching in the Cleeve he did not give his mount a tough time to chase him down and that could prove vital here. With a confirmed strong pace to aim at, Impose Toi will travel strongly into the race and should he act a bit better given the ground should be more in his favour, I can see him picking them all up after the last.

16:00 Ryanair Chase

I'll keep this one very brief. FACT TO FILE will once again romp to Ryanair glory.  The race looks weaker in 2026 than it was in 2025 when this lad put in arguably the performance of the week to power away with this Grade 1 prize. Do not be surprised to see the JP McManus owned, Willie Mullins trained superstar be sent off as the shortest price favourite of the whole week and be the cornerstone of every favourites' acca both on day three and across the entire week.

It is somewhat disappointing for the sport that this is probably the last season, given he is nine, we could expect to see Fact To File have a crack at a Gold Cup, but as I mentioned earlier his trainer is ruthless in his hunt for winners in any race he can at the Festival, If Fact To File comes here in the form he was in when powering to the Irish Gold Cup, he could be a contender for the widest margin winner of the week too. NAP material.

16:40 Pertemps Final

Our Cheltenham expert @RoadCheltenham flagged SUPREMELY WEST at 12/1 several weeks ago as one of his standout handicap bets for the Festival, and the market has moved strongly in his favour since. A series of positive updates from trainer Dan Skelton have clearly caught the attention of punters, with sustained support seeing his price tumble dramatically into the region of 4/1 in the latest betting.

That collapse in odds tells its own story. Skelton has been bullish about the horse’s wellbeing in recent weeks and the expectation is that SUPREMELY WEST will arrive at Cheltenham in peak condition for this target. Given the strength of that market move and the confidence coming from the yard, he now looks like the horse the rest of the field may have to beat in this competitive handicap.

17:20 Kim Muir Handicap Chase

As has become the norm in recent years, JP McManus's green and gold silks seem to have this race in the palm of their hands, with the top three in the betting all residing with different trainers but representing the most powerful ownership operation in Cheltenham history. Jeriko Du Reponet in particular has been a massive gamble for the last month or so.

Our Cheltenham expert @RoadCheltenham bravely decided to take JP's crew on a few weeks back, selecting KIM ROQUE antepost at a huge 20/1. The view at the time was that the Kim Muir could prove an ideal target. While the exact plan for the horse wasn’t completely clear then, his profile looked tailor-made for a race of that nature and there was an expectation he could attract solid market support once his Festival destination became clear. I see no reason to desert the horse as I loved the case my colleague made.

Kim Roque has only had six starts over fences so far, but there’s plenty to like about the way he goes about his racing. His jumping is generally slick and accurate, which is always a key asset in these competitive staying handicaps, and the hope would be to see him ridden patiently before being brought into the race late on. Joseph O’Brien is renowned for targeting the major meetings with precision, and a step up in trip at Cheltenham should bring further improvement.