Ginger Joe's Cheltenham 2023 Early Picks Day 3

Halfway through and it’s time for Day 3 of my Early Picks for Cheltenham

St Patrick’s Thursday is almost always my best Cheltenham Festival punting day and I’m hoping to make it a personal best this year. I’ve got some fantastic action for you to take a look at and today also features one of my all-time favourite Cheltenham races, The Stayers’ Hurdle. But I’ll also be taking a close look at The Turners Chase, The Ryanair Chase and The Mares’ Novice Hurdle too.

My Day 3 winning bookie is…

13.30: The Turners Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 2m 4fHot Favourite Mighty Potter looks like a machine in the making, but I do feel that the 2m 4f trip here is the bare minimum for him. He stays all day and the further he goes, the better he is. That being said, he looks the most likely winner and he certainly knows how to jump a fence.

Looking at the rest of the field, Banbridge and Appreciate It are the main dangers here. I also know that David Casey from the Mullins yard is particularly sweet on Appreciate It as he rides him out every day.

Although I think Mighty Potter is the most likely to win, I’m going to leave it until the weekend to give you my final decision. At which point, it really could just come down to a price thing.

14.50: The Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) 2m 5fAfter watching him win numerous times over 2 miles, I was somewhat concerned when Shishkin took the step up to 2m 5f. However, my fears were groundless as he took the extra half a mile literally in his stride, beating Pic D’Orhy by a colossal 16 lengths at Ascot in February.

Unsurprisingly, after his Ascot victory, he immediately went odds on to win this race. Shishkin clearly represents the best chance at 4/6, but from a betting perspective, this may well be a race to watch rather than punt for me.

Welcome to Cheltenham

Cheltenham Chasers

15.30: The Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1) 3mThe Stayers Hurdle is a fascinating contest this year, with some new kids on the block hoping to prevent Flooring Porter from claiming his third successive win. Frankly though, he has been a disappointment this year, leaving the race wide open.

Current 3/1 Favourite, BLAZING KHAL, defied a huge lay off to win first time back from injury, but it’s too quick a turnaround to have him ready again for a Stayers’ to my way of thinking.

I think this race belongs to one of two runners, Teahupoo and Home By The Lee, who have both shown marked improvement this year. The race will probably suit one or the other depending on the pace, but both are at healthy enough prices to consider both. If you followed my Ante Post series, you’ll be sitting on a 9/1 betting slip for Teahupoo already.

16.50: The Mares Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m 1f

Another horse that I put up at much bigger ante post odds is Ashroe Diamond. She’s a lovely mare, sired by Walk in the Park, and she looks a force to be reckoned with. She has been ideally prepped for this and has now had plenty of racing experience.

She’s quietly clocked up several wins for Willie Mullins and even when placing, she’s been behind some real superstars. Her experience is highly likely to give her the edge over 13/8 Favourite, Luccia, who actually looks a little fragile to me. It remains to be seen how good both are, but Ashroe Diamond at 7/2 is definitely one of my bets for Cheltenham.

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Day 4 Early Picks coming soon, but in the meantime…

Be sure to check in again later for Day 4 and my Gold Cup selections. And while you're waiting, don’t forget to take advantage of all the bookie offers currently up for grabs. It’s well worth taking the time to sign up for at least one, because there's nothing better than free bets, right?