Cheltenham Day 3 Tips: The ultimate guide to St Patrick's Day at the Festival

TIME	RACE	SBK Odds	EXC Odds
13:20	Mares' Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) - 2m 179y	SBK	EXC
14:00	Jack Richards Novices' Chase - 2m 4f 127y	SBK	EXC
14:40	Mares' Hurdle (Grade 1) - 2m 4f 56y	SBK	EXC
15:20	Stayers' Hurdle (Grade 1) - 3m	SBK	EXC
16:00	Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) - 2m 4f 127y	SBK	EXC
16:40	Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle - 2m 7f 113y	SBK	EXC
17:20	Kim Muir Handicap Chase - 3m 2f	SBK	EXC

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Rolling News

Keep checking back for the latest news including significant market moves, jockey injuries and suspensions, confirmed runners and big-name horses that wll miss this year's Cheltenham Festival.

- 10 Mar: Twelve-time Grade 1 winner Jonbon declared to run in Ryanair Chase on Thursday

- 7 Mar: Fact To File has not been supplemented for the Gold Cup and will run in the Ryanair Chase

- 6 Mar: 1/21.50 favourite Fact To File remains in the Ryanair Chase entries at the 5-day stage

- 6 Mar: Last year's 1 & 2 in the Stayers' Hurdle, Bob Olinger and Teahupoo, set to do battle again

- 27 Feb: Get Katie Midwinter's verdict on the chances of Teahupoo in the Stayers' Hurdle here

- 24 Feb: Jonbon could miss Cheltenham having had tough races on testing ground says trainer

- 14 Feb: Prolific Grade 1 winner Jonbon wins Betfair Ascot Chase and is 9/25.50 to win Ryanair Chase

- 13 Feb: The Betfair Sportsbook is now Non-Runner No Bet on all 28 Cheltenham Festival races

- 3 Feb: The Jukebox Man removed from Ryanair Chase with the Gold Cup his intended target

- 2 Feb: Irish Gold Cup winner Fact To File 2/13.00 for Ryanair Chase ahead of Gaelic Warrior at 5/23.50

- 1 Feb: Lossiemouth clear 11/102.11 favourite for Mares' Hurdle after defeat in Irish Champion Hurdle

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Day 3 Stats and Trends (last 10 winners)

13:20 Mares Novices' Hurdle

• 10/10 was aged 5yo or 6yo
• 10/10 had finished in the top three last time out
• 8/10 had won over 2m1f or further
• 8/10 had previously finished top three in a Listed or Graded hurdle
• 7/10 had previously had between two and four hurdle runs
• 7/10 were Irish-trained
• 5/10 were trained by Willie Mullins

Record of the Favourites:

Three winners in last 10 years at odds of 4/71.57, 8/111.73 and 11/82.38.

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14:00 Jack Richards Novices' Chase

• 10/10 had finished 1st or 2nd last time out
• 10/10 had a starting price in single figures
• 10/10 had previously run at Cheltenham
• 8/10 were aged 7yo
• 8/10 had previously had at least two chase runs
• 8/10 had an Official Rating of at least 151
• 7/10 had previously won a Grade 1 over hurdles or fences

Record of the Favourites:

Four winners in last 10 years at odds of 6/42.50, 5/23.50, 3/14.00 and 4/15.00.

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14:40 Mares' Hurdle

• 8/10 were aged 6yo or 7yo
• 8/10 were Irish-trained
• 7/10 had a starting price in single figures
• 6/10 had won last time out
• 6/10 had NOT won a Grade 1 race
• 4/10 were trained by Willie Mullins

Record of the Favourites:

Four winners in last 10 years at odds of 8/131.61, 4/61.67, 4/61.67 and 9/43.25.

Regarded as the premier hurdle race for the female equine stars, the Mares' Hurdle has produced some fabulous winners since its introduction to the Festival in 2008 including six-time winner of the race Quevega, Apple's Jade and two-time Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle.

This year's renewal lost a bit of its strength in depth when both Brighterdaysahead and defending champion Lossiemouth ran in Tuesday's Champion Hurdle, meaning Gordon Elliott's highly talented mare Wodhooh will start a warm favourite for the race.

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15:20 Stayers' Hurdle

• 9/10 had finished in the top three on last completed run
• 9/10 had previously had at least eight runs over hurdles
• 8/10 had previously won a Graded hurdle over 3m or further
• 8/10 had previously run at the Cheltenham Festival
• 7/10 were aged 6yo or 7yo
• 7/10 had finihed in the top three in all completed hurdle runs that season
• 7/10 were Irish-trained

Record of the Favourites:

Three winners in last 10 years at odds of 1/12.00, 5/42.25 and 11/82.38.

Traditionally the third 'championship' race of the week following the Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase, the Stayers' Hurdle is a strong 'trends' race with lots of factors prevailing each year.

We have a relatively strong antepost favourite this year in the shape of Teahupoo who is looking to become the first horse since Inglis Drever to regain the Stayers' Hurdle crown after winning the race in 2024 before finihing runner-up last year.

He certainly has a lot of trends in his favour, in fact he meets all the above trends bar one, but should his supporters be worried about him not being a six or seven-year-old? Probably not given that Bob Olinger was a 10yo when winning last year's renewal and that Sire Du Berlais was an 11yo when winning the race in 2023.

Sam Turner's Ante-post Tip:

*Please Note: The prices for Sam's tips shown in this column are what he advised them at antepost and not their current prices.

*You can read Sam's column in full to find out why he fancies then 50/151.00 outsider Ma Shantou.

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16:00 Ryanair Chase

• 10/10 were aged between 7yo and 9yo
• 10/10 had a starting price in single figures
• 10/10 had finished 1st or 2nd in at least one of last two completed runs
• 10/10 had previously had at least two runs at Cheltenham
• 8/10 had previously won at Cheltenham
• 8/10 had an Official Rating of at least 165
• 8/10 were Irish-trained
• 6/10 were trained by Willie Mullins

Record of the Favourites:

Five winners in last 10 years at odds of 4/71.57, 1/12.00, 6/42.50, 7/42.75 and 3/14.00.

First staged in 2005, the Ryanair Chase has quickly established itself as one of the key races at the Cheltenham Festival, and for the first time has now been moved to the 'feature race of the day' slot at 16:00. If you have a top class chaser not quite quick enough for the Champion Chase or perhaps won't stay the 3m+ trip of the Gold Cup, then this 2m4f Grade 1 is the ideal contest.

The Willie Mullins-trained Fact To File won this race 12 months ago, and despite being prominent in the Gold Cup market until the five-day entry stage he will now be red-hot favourite to defend his Ryanair Chase crown after not being supplemented for Friday's Gold Cup.

He fits every one of the strong 10-year trends as he represents the all-conquering Willie Mullins stable, and he will be one of the bankers of the week for many punters.

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16:40 Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle

• 10/10 did not start as the race favourie
• 8/10 were aged between 6yo and 8yo
• 8/10 had finished in the top four on last completed run
• 7/10 had a starting price in double figures
• 7/10 had an Official Rating of between 138 and 148
• 7/10 had previously won between 2m4f and 2m6f
• 7/10 were Irish-trained
• 3/10 were trained by Gordon Elliott

Record of the Favourites:

No winners in last 10 years.

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17:20 Kim Muir Handicap Chase

• 9/10 had previously had no more than 10 chase runs
• 8/10 were aged 7yo or 8yo
• 7/10 had previously run at a Cheltenham Festival
• 7/10 were Irish-trained
• 6/10 had an Official Rating between 134 and 142
• 5/10 had previously NOT won over 3m or further
• 3/10 were trained by Gordon Elliott

Record of the Favourites:

Two winners in last 10 years at odds of 13/82.63 and 3/14.00.

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Betting on the Cheltenham Festival

There are many ways you can bet on the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, either on the Betfair Exchange or on the Betfair Sportsbook, with the most popular and traditional way being to back on individual races via either win or each-way bets.

All 28 of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival races are now priced up for ante-post purposes on the Betfair Sportsbook while all 15 Graded races, plus the Cross Country Chase, have ante-post markets on the Betfair Exchange (markets for the handicaps will appear soon). The Non-Runner No Bet markets, meaning that if your ante-post selection becomes a non runner then you get your money back, are now live for all 28 Cheltenham Festival races.

The 'day of the race' markets typically appear around 48 hours before racing should you want to wait until the final declarations (runners and riders) are known.

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Betfair Safer Gambling: A range of tools to help

Betfair is committed to safer gambling and here you can find out about the tools that help you set your budget, keep track of your spend, take a break when you need it, and more. Click here for full details.

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And you don't just have to back singles. You can include more than one selection in what is called a multiple.

A selection in two different races combined in a multiple is called a double, three races it's a treble, and four or more races is often referred to as an acca (accumulator).

Closer to the races Betfair will be enhancing odds on certain horses, enhancing the place terms for each-way betting on some races (6 places paid instead of 4 for example), and providing plenty of 'specials' which can include a boosted price for a jockey to ride 2+ winners, or a horse to win by over 5 lengths, among many other specials.

And keep an eye out for the daily Betfair Superboost, where the Betfair Sportsbook will select a strongly-fancied odds-on shot - whether it be a horse to win or a horse to finish in a certain number of places - and superboost the price to 1/12.00 or even bigger.

From the Horse Racing section on the Betfair Sportsbook, simply click on the Specials tab to see all the offers for that day, Betfair Exchange specials can be found here.

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Betfair Education - Betting Explained

We understand and appreciate that not everyone betting on this year's Cheltenham Festival will be familiar with how it all works, and that to some new customers it may appear a bit daunting at first.

With so much information already given in this guide you might just want to jump straight in and place some bets. If that's the case, then we have you covered.

Within our excellent Betting Explained section on betting.betfair.com you will find all the educational pieces that you will need to place a bet.

You might just want to know what the simplest types of bets are available to you, or how betting odds work, and even how to place a bet on either the Betfair Sportsbook or Betfair Exchange.

Click the links below for some popular Betting Explained articles for beginners.

- What are the simplest types of bet? Click here.

- How do odds work? Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Exchange. Click here.

- How to place a bet on the Betfair Sportsbook. Click here.

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Horse Racing Jargon Buster

When it comes to betting, no sport has its own jargon more than Horse Racing.

From an Acca to a Yankee (we can't think of a term that starts with Z), taking in a Jolly and a Steamer, racing is full of weird and wacky terminology that you'll hear and read on a daily basis.

But what does it all mean? Fear not, we have you covered with our in-depth jargon buster below.

Accumulator (Acca)

In simple terms an accumulator is a bet consisting of at least two selections (legs) where all parts of the bet must be successful to secure a payout, with the winnings from the first part of the acca rolling onto the next part and so on.

However, a bet containing just two selections is referred to as a double, while three selections is called a treble, so the term Accumulator or Acca usually refers to a bet that contains at least four selections.

Ante-post

A betting market that appears well in advance of a race's scheduled start time, often meaning you can get bigger odds about your selection.

Back

A 'back' bet on a horse means you're backing that horse to either win or place if it's an each-way bet.

Banker

A horse that is very likely to win, or a horse that is by far your strongest selection if backing more than one, is considered to be a banker.

Betting Exchange

A platform through which gamblers can bet directly against each other on a peer-to-peer betting network, rather than a bookmaker. Betting exchanges like the Betfair Exchange allow lay bets to be made, as well as win and place bets, meaning that gamblers can bet on hores to lose.

Bookmaker

A bookmaker is the organisation that provides odds on the outcome of horse races in order to accept bets based on predictions by customers.

Cash Out

The process of taking a payout offered by your bookmaker before the full completion of the bet.

Dead Heat

When two or more horses cross the winning line at exactly the same time a dead heat is declared the result, meaning both (or all) horses are deemed the winner.

Double

A bet that contains just two horses in two different races whereby both horses must win to guarantee a return.

Drifter

A horse that is regularly getting bigger in price (its odds are lengthening) is referred to as a drifter.

Each-Way

An each-way bet is available in horse races that feature a winner and a number of other horses finishing in a sequence of places.

The bet involves a single selection but is comprised of two bets: a 'win bet' and a 'place bet'. The same horse is thereby backed to win the event at set odds, and backed to finish within a range of places at different odds. The each-way bet will provide a payout if either part of the bet proves successful.

Favourite

The shortest priced horse in the race, the market leader.

Fell (F)

Signified by a letter F in a form line, fell means that a horse tripped up, or didn't clear an obstacle in jump racing.

Flip-flop

When a favourite in a race drifts in price and/or the second favourite shortens in price meaning they swap positions at the head of the market, the favourites are said to flip-flop.

Forecast

A bet consisting of two horses where both must finish first and second in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Gamble

A gamble is a term used for a horse that has been significantly backed, whether it be by just a small number of punters for large stakes, or by many punters for smaller stakes, resulting in the horse's odds shortening considerably.

Going

The term used to describe how soft or hard the ground is on turf racing. In the UK the going ranges from Heavy (very soft ground) to Firm (hard ground) though the latter is a going you will rarely get these days because of horse welfare and the ability for racecourses to add water to the ground to make it less firm.

In-Running (In-Play)

A form of betting that has become hugely popular through online betting sites, and involves placing a bet on a horse after the racet has started but before the race concluds, hence betting In-Running. It is also referred to as In-Play, especially in sporting events other than horse racing.

Jolly

Another term used for the favourite in a horse race.

Jumps

The code of racing whereby most races are contested on a racecourse that contains 'jumps' in the form of hurdles and fences. Officially it is called National Hunt racing, but jumps is a more commonly used term. The jumps season usually runs from mid autumn to late spring.

Lay

On a betting exchange a customer can play a lay bet, which effectively means that you're backing a horse NOT to win. Laying a horse to win a race for example means that you're betting that it doesn't win the race and therefore every other horse in the race is on your side.

Long-shot

A horse who appears to have a low chance of winning and therefore is priced at big odds, 33/134.00 for example.

Lucky 15

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 15 bets (4 x singles, 6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). Just one horse must win to guarantee a return.

Market Mover

A horse that significantly moves in price, either by shortening - 10/111.00 into 3/14.00 for example - or by lengthening in price - 2/13.00 out to 6/17.00. A horse that significantly shortens in price is called a postive market mover while a horse that significantly lengthens in price is classed a a negative market mover.

Nap

A 'Nap' is often used by tipsters and simply means what is, in their opinion, their strongest fancy if they have put up two or more selections.

Non-Runner

Non-Runner means that a horse that was originally due to take part in a race is no longer going to take part, hence being a non-runner.

Non-Runner Money-Back

Non-Runner Money-Back (NRMB), also known as Non-Runner No-Bet (NRNB), is a concession that bookmakers will offer on some ante-post markets and simply means that should you back a horse that doesn't take part in the race, then you will get your stake back.

Odds

Also referred to as the price. Odds are the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Odds-against

A price where the odds are bigger than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 2/13.00 for example.

Odds-on

A price where the odds are less than 1/12.00 (fractional) or 2.01/1 (decimal); 1/21.50 for example.

On the nose

To back a horse to win only without any consideration to backing it each-way. The term is derived from the fact that to determine the winner of a horse race, the first body part of a horse used when crossing the winning line is the nose.

Outsider

A horse who is deemed to have the least chance of winning in a race and therefore has the biggest betting odds.

Photo Finish

When two or more horses cross the winning line in very close proximity and it's not obvious which one won, a photo finish is declared, meaning a photograph (or a digital image) is required to determine who crossed the line first.

Pillar to Post

A term used for a horse that leads all the way (from start to finish) and wins a race.

Place Bet

A place bet involves backing a selection to finish in a particular place, or within a range of places, in a horse race.

Price

Also referred to as the odds. Price is the returns a bookmaker offers for a horse to win.

Pulled-Up (P)

Signified by a letter P in a form line, pulled-up means a horse was prevented from finishing a race by its jockey. This usually occurs when a horses gets injured in a race or is so far behind in a race that for its welfare it is better to pull it up rather than continue to race.

Punter

The individual or customer who places a bet.

Return

The money to be returned to the customer if a bet is successful.

Rule 4

A rule that allows a bookmaker to deduct a percentage of a customer's winnings should a horse become a non-runner AFTER the customer has backed a horse at a certain price.

Single

The simplest of all bets and means to back just one selection, whether to win or each-way, in a particular horse race.

Starting Price or SP

The starting price is the odds for each hose at the time of a race commencing, and is used to determine the payout to a customer if they didn't take an earlier price.

Stake

The amount of money that you bet on a horse.

Steamer

Similar to a gamble, a steamer is a horse that is being backed regularly meaning a significant shortening in the price.

Tailed Off

The term used for a horse that is a huge distance behind the rest of the runners during a race, and therefore has very little or no chance of winning.

Tip

A selection that is put up or advertised by a respected tipster. A tip can also be valuable but not widely known information about a horse - an owner telling a friend that his horse has been training really well for example, and therefore has a good chance of winning a race.

Trainer

The official name given to a person who holds a license to train horses and is therefore responsible for planning and entering horses into races.

Treble

A bet that contains three horses in three different races whereby all horses must win to guarantee a return.

Tricast

A bet consisting of three horses where all must finish first, second and third in the order that you predict to guarantee a return.

Unseated Rider (UR)

Signified by a letter U in a form line, unseated rider means a jockey came out of the saddle and fell of the horses during a race. This usually happens when a horse makes a mistake at a hurdle or fence but doesn't actually fall itself, it just unbalances the jockey resulting in an un-seat.

Void bet

A bet which is declared invalid. The stake is returned to the customer without deduction.

Yankee

A popular form of bet consisting of four different horses in four different races, making up 11 bets (6 x doubles, 4 x trebles and 1 x four-fold). At least two horses must win to guarantee a return.

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