All prices Betfair Sportsbook at time of writing (Gamble Responsibly 18+)
13:20 - Ryanair Mares Novices Hurdle
A deep Dawn Run field to start Thursday. A deep field with plenty of upside and typical Willie Mullins depth makes this a proper puzzle rather than a simple stable pecking order.
The card reads good to soft over 2m1f, and that matters. This race often goes to a mare who can travel in a big-field Grade 2 and then find again after the last. Pure grinders get caught out. Pure speed mares empty on the climb. You need balance.
The obvious starting point is Bambino Fever. Paul Townend is booked, the recent form line is strong, and she comes here off a Fairyhouse win after already putting together a solid sequence. She has the profile you want for this race: lightly raced enough to improve again, but battle-hardened enough not to be shocked by the occasion. The slight concern is price rather than ability. In this race, short ones have not always been bombproof, especially when the tempo lifts from two out.
La Conquiere offers better value. She brings a 133 rating, arrives in form, and her Ascot second reads well for a race like this. Jamie Snowden’s mare looks straightforward, and that is no bad thing in a Festival opener with so many less exposed types. She shapes like she will handle the track and the strong pace, and she does not need to improve massively to get involved.
There are dangers everywhere. Place De La Nation has the highest published mark in the field on 135 and is respected, while Jackie Hobbs is the obvious British hope after a string of wins. Echoing Silence and Oldschool Outlaw also bring progressive profiles.
But this looks a race to side with proven recent form and mares who should finish their race strongly up the hill.
Par and Paddock Tip - Bambino Fever 10/11
Each-Way Value - La Conquiere - 14/1 (EW)
14:00 - Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase
A proper handicap for the Festival, rewarding horses improving ahead of their mark rather than those who’ve failed to capitalise on earlier opportunities.
The main concern is compression at the top of the weights. Gold Dancer leads on a rating of 152, yet minimal weight differentials separate the first dozen runners. This should produce a strongly run race where jumping rhythm and hill-climbing stamina prove decisive, beyond raw ability.
Paul Nicholls’ Regents Stroll emerges as the obvious choice. His handicap mark of 145 appears fair given his consistent novice season (4212312), and Harry Cobden’s booking is particularly encouraging. Crucially, he’s already proven himself at Cheltenham, many horses look promising on paper but struggle with the track’s undulations and relentless pace.
The British handicapper may have underestimated Jordans Cross from the Honeyball yard. With two wins and one fall from four runs, he arrives in excellent form. More significantly, he’s a course-and-distance winner, a considerable advantage in large-field handicaps where turning-for-home positioning often decides matters. At 140, there’s clear room for improvement if he settles adequately.
Irish representation strengthens the contest, particularly Slade Steel, who’s threatened in better company and should prove well-handicapped if returning to form. Willie Mullins contributes several runners, including Gold Dancer and Kiss Will, though the stable’s handicap approach occasionally proves opaque, making market differentiation challenging.
Expect a strongly-run affair with multiple front-runners, likely producing a race where a patient stalker capitalises on the leaders’ exertions during the final stages.
Par and Paddock Tip – Regents Stroll @ 5/1 (EW)
Each-Way Value – Jordans Cross @ 11/2 (EW)
14:40 - Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
This looks much tighter than the market suggests, even if Wodhooh arrives with the standout profile. Seven runners, good to soft, and over 2m4.5f, this should be a proper test of class and composure rather than a sprint from the home turn.
Wodhooh is hard to knock. She is unbeaten in six starts, already a course-and-distance winner, and her Leopardstown success says she belongs at this level. The bare form is strong, but more important is the manner of it: she travels cleanly, settles, and finds again. In a small-field Grade 1 that matters. There should be no excuses around track, trip or ground.
The obvious danger is Jade De Grugy, who has already advertised her quality and has the strongest official mark behind the favourite on the card. Paul Townend, siding with her stablemate, tells its own story, but she still brings a proper Grade 1 profile and will not go down without a fight if turning in close enough. Take No Chances is admirably solid and has plenty of staying form, though she may again find one or two too sharp at the top level.
From a historical angle, this race often rewards proven class rather than speculative improvers. You want a mare who can hold position, jump accurately and quicken after the last. Wodhooh ticks every box. Odds-on in a Festival Grade 1 is never comfortable, but on the evidence in front of us, she is the one most likely to run her race.
Par and Paddock Tip - Wodhooh 8/11
15:20 - Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle
The championship staying hurdle is a fascinating mix this year: the reigning force in the division, a rapidly improving challenger, and several proven Festival operators who will make this a proper test at three miles.
Teahupoo sets the standard. Gordon Elliott’s gelding won this race in 2024 and returned to Cheltenham last year to finish a close second to Bob Olinger. His profile remains rock solid: a 164 rating, strong recent form (1122111), and a proven ability to travel smoothly before finding more up the hill. Importantly, he is one of the few in the field who consistently run their race in championship company.
The danger is the improver Kabral Du Mathan. He arrives off a sequence of wins and carries the profile of a horse still climbing through the staying hurdle ranks. However, the question is stamina. His best form has come around shorter trips, and while his 154 rating gives him a chance, the extra emphasis on stamina in a Stayers’ Hurdle often exposes horses stepping up to the full three miles for the first time at this level.
Bob Olinger deserves respect after winning this race last year and remains a class act, but at eleven there is a legitimate question about whether he can reproduce that peak performance again in another deep renewal.
The race should be run at a proper tempo with several forward-going types, which will suit proven stayers who settle early and finish strongly from the final bend.
On balance, the defending champion still has the most solid championship profile.
Par and Paddock Tip - Teahupoo 10/3
16:00 - Ryanair Chase
The market says Fact To File is the one to beat, and that is fair enough on raw figures, but the betting angle in this race may sit with Impaire Et Passe at 7/1.
He makes plenty of appeal if you are looking beyond the short-priced favourite. Willie Mullins’ gelding is already a course-and-distance winner, arrives here after another victory at Gowran, and his profile suggests this Ryanair set-up could suit better than many expect. He travels strongly, jumps accurately when in rhythm, and Cheltenham’s 2m5f asks for exactly that blend of pace and stamina.
There is also a fair case that he remains a little underestimated in open company over fences. His form figures over the larger obstacles are strong, and the latest win came after a break in his record where he was brought down, not beaten. That matters. It means his recent profile reads more solidly than it may look at first glance.
Fact To File is the class act and last year’s winner. No argument there. But at cramped odds, you are paying for a lot to go right in a race with several Grade 1 horses. Jonbon has star quality too, though this trip at Cheltenham still asks a bigger stamina question than Ascot does. Banbridge is another with the class to get involved, but he was disappointing in this race last year and has to prove he can deliver his best in this exact contest.
Impaire Et Passe has fewer holes than his price implies. He has proven Festival form, he has the trip, he has the track, and he comes here fresh enough to think there is more to come. In a race where the favourite is obvious, he looks the sharper betting play.
Par and Paddock Tip - Impaire Et Passe 7/1 (EW)
16:40 - Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle
The Pertemps Final is one of the Festival’s toughest handicaps to solve. Twenty-four runners, a strong gallop almost guaranteed, and the long climb from the final flight means stamina and patience matter more than raw class. Horses who travel comfortably through the race and finish late tend to be the ones picking up the pieces.
Melbourne Shamrock looks like a strong candidate. Emmet Mullins is no stranger to landing a Festival handicap, and this horse arrives here after winning at Naas just 18 days ago. That run fits the typical Pertemps preparation perfectly. His mark of 132 still gives him room to improve, and he looks the type who will be ridden quietly before finishing strongly up the hill.
Absolutely Doyen is the progressive horse in the field. Four straight wins show the momentum he brings into the race, and a mark of 135 may still underestimate him if that improvement continues. Harry Cobden taking the ride is another positive. The only unknown is the jump into a deeper handicap, but the profile suggests he can cope.
For each-way purposes, Champagne Chic appeals at a price. A six-year-old off 131 with form figures of 1406211, he arrives here in excellent form and sits right in the rating band that has produced plenty of recent winners. If the race becomes a test of stamina late on, he should be staying on when others are fading.
Minella Emperor is another who could outrun his odds. He sneaks into the race off a mark of 130 and the claim takes useful weight off his back. His recent run of seconds suggests he is close to a win, and this type of strongly-run handicap could suit him.
Par and Paddock Tip - Melbourne Shamrock 18/1 (EW)
Each-Way Value - Champagne Chic 14/1 (EW)
Each-Way Value - Minella Emperor 16/1 (EW)
17:20 - Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase
The Kim Muir is rarely pretty, but it is often predictable in profile. A big field, amateur riders, and a gruelling 3m2½f mean stamina and jumping rhythm usually matter more than raw speed.
Looking back at the last few renewals, a few patterns stand out. Winners tend to sit in the OR 130–145 range, arrive after a recent run within roughly three to eight weeks, and crucially are still improving as staying chasers rather than exposed veterans. Seven and eight-year-olds dominate, with horses able to travel comfortably in midfield before making a move from three out.
That profile points strongly toward Jeriko Du Reponet. Nicky Henderson’s seven-year-old sits near the top of the weights but still within the usual winning band and has been running consistently well in strong handicaps this season. His form figures of 5321225 show a horse holding his level against good opposition, and Derek O’Connor is one of the most experienced amateur riders in the race. If he settles early and jumps cleanly, this trip looks likely to suit.
The one who could offer better value is Prends Garde A Toi. Gordon Elliott has an excellent record placing horses in staying handicaps, and this seven-year-old looks the type to improve for a thorough test of stamina. His Punchestown run last time hinted that he is still progressing over fences, and his mark of 137 keeps him competitive in a race that rarely requires a huge leap forward to win.
With a large field and plenty of pace on paper, this should develop into a true test of stamina up the hill. Horses that travel smoothly through the middle of the race and conserve energy for the final climb often come to the fore in this contest.
Par and Paddock Tip - Jeriko Du Reponet 4/1
Each-Way Value - Prends Garde A Toi 14/1 (EW)
Patent Each-Way
14:00 - Jordans Cross 11/2
15:20 - Teahupoo 7/2
16:00 - Impaire Et Passe 7/1