Talking points and tips ahead of Day 3 at Cheltenham

All the talking points ahead of the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle.

Thursday at Cheltenham is danger day for punters, it’s the only one at the Festival with three wide-open handicaps in which there could be horses lurking with a stone in hand of the handicapper.

But those who love the form book and the short-priced ones can still get stuck into Mighty Potter (1.30) and Shishkin (2.50), two of the bankers of the meeting at 6/5 and 4/5 respectively.

Gordon Elliott won’t hear of defeat for his Mighty Potter. He has been the outstanding novice chaser in Ireland this winter and goes for the Turners Chase, the opener, with full stable confidence behind him. Davy Russell will be aboard and he’s an Irish winner, surely, to get the day off to a great start.

If the Shishkin who turned up at Ascot last month turns up in the Ryanair Chase then he wins. But that was Shishkin’s first decent run since the end of 2021.

And his trainer Nicky Henderson never likes running his top Cheltenham horses so near to the big event.

But he had to run Shishkin at Ascot to find out if there was anything left under the bonnet after a very disappointing 2022.

He is the class act in the race, and I’m not taking him on. But Mouse Morris has French Dynamite in the Ryanair at 16/1. He could be a decent each-way poke.

The Stayers Hurdle (3.30) is the other highlight of the day and Ashdale Bob (16/1) might give Jessica Harrington a tonic as she recovers from illness. This is the only one of Cheltenham’s big races that ‘Jessie’ has not won.

The second last race of the day, the 4.50 the Mares Novice Hurdle, is run in honour of Jack de Bromhead, so tragically killed during a pony race last November.

There will be tears flowing if his Dad’s Magical Zoe (11/1) wins this – and don’t you know Henry will have the horse primed to run to her very best.

Luccia and Ashroe Diamond dominate the betting, but what about Princess Zoe (14/1) in this. Could Tony Mullins’ mare, a Group One winner on the Flat at Longchamp on Arc weekend, win at Cheltenham. Yes she could.

In those dangerous handicaps, I’m willing to have a few big-odds bets. Starting with Bear Ghylls at 20/1 in the Pertemps Hurdle (2.10). He has some seriously decent form going back to 2021, and is worth a go here.

In the Plate (4.10), Coole Cody, a confirmed Cheltenham champion, might give you a run for your money on each-way terms at 25/1

But Stumptown (7/2) is much shorter odds, and he is all the rage for the last, the Kim Muir Chase (5.30). The odds are a bit skinny for me, but Gavin Cromwell is a top target trainer and this horse has been laid out for this challenge.