Thursday is renowned for being the hardest punting day at the Cheltenham Festival but this year’s third day could buck the trend with a well-backed handicap favourite for our nap and a strong fancy in the feature race, the Grade 1 Stayers Hurdle.
Cheltenham Thursday best bets
Nap: 4.40 – Jagwar to win @ 4/1
NB: 4.00 – Lucky Place to win @ 7/1
Longshot: 2.40 Karl De Tourelles @ 18/1 (each-way)
Bet on the latest Cheltenham Festival odds at Betzone
Jagwar has potential to roar to Festival Plate success
The Timeform Novices’ Chase is easily the best race on Cheltenham’s January Trials Day to follow for scorers at the Festival later the same year.
Winners Mister Whitaker (2018), Simply The Betts (2020) and Stage Star (2023) have all doubled up with success in March inside the last six editions. JAGWAR looks to have a brilliant chance of following in their footsteps in the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase (4.40).
The six-year-old should have plenty of improvement to come in comparison to the majority of his rivals after his connections opted for the Plate over the novices’ equivalent earlier on the Thursday card.
His course and distance victory in January took his record to three wins in four runs over fences and the comfortable manner of his victory suggests defying the 7lb rise he got for that success should be well within his capabilities.
Nap: 4.40 – Jagwar to win @ 4/1
Henderson hurdler can step up in trip to Grade 1 glory
Nicky Henderson last won the Stayers Hurdle (4.00) with Bacchanal in 2000. A quarter of a century on the Seven Barrows handler has a fantastic chance of adding to that tally courtesy of LUCKY PLACE.
The six-year-old has rewarded his trainer for thinking better of the initial plan to go chasing this term with two Grade 2 victories over 2m4f in as many runs in his sophomore campaign over timber.
Most recently he gave subsequent Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle winner Gowel Road 6lbs and a beating in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham’s New Year’s Day meeting.
That run further enhanced his record at the track following a fourth in last season’s Coral Cup that was especially impressive given almost every other Henderson runner ran poorly at the 2023 meeting.
One of only three runners in the field to have raced less than eight times over hurdles (Mystical Power and Rocky’s Diamond being the others), he could still be progressing and the step up to 3m for the first time can see him establish himself at Grade 1 level.
NB: 4.00 – Lucky Place to win @ 7/1
Unexposed Irish raider can strike a blow for smaller yards
The Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle (2.40) has been won by 25/1 shots twice in the last three years, making it an apt contest in which to find Thursday’s Cheltenham Festival longshot.
KARL DE TOURELLES represents a Cheltenham Festival winning trainer in the shape of County Tipperary handler Phillip Fenton, who saddled Dubguib to win the 2009 Champion Bumper.
The five-year-old produced the best run of his career when a half-length second in his qualifier in his first try at a trip of more than 2m3f. Down the field over 2m4f on his sole subsequent start, it would be little surprise to see him resume his upward trajectory now he tackles 3m again.
Longshot: 2.40 Karl De Tourelles @ 18/1 (each-way)
