Ginger Joe's Cheltenham 2023 Day 3 Preview & Picks!

How are you all doing so far? Day 3 beckons, so either way, let’s crack on!

I’m really on a roll now as we go into Day 3 of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival. Good or bad, the last two days are behind us, and there’s plenty more racing excitement to come!

So, where exactly do I start? We’ve got some fantastic horses running today, including Flooring Porter, Shishkin and Luccia, so I think the best bet is to start with the opener and work on through the card. But first, I have something just a little special for you! Check out my exclusive Betfred Cheltenham offer…

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13.30: The Turners Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) 2m 3f

Another cracking race to kick-start the day and Mighty Potter looks like he will be really hard to beat. But I do have slight concerns about this trip for him. He seems to get better the further he goes, and he may still be good enough to win here regardless, but I don’t think it’s necessarily as straightforward as it seems…

He is a big, scopey horse, but will need the run of the race for things to go his way. If this was over another half a mile, I think he would be bulletproof. However, there's definitely a few horses in this race that have a higher cruising speed over this shorter trip who could be more effective.

Mighty Potter might go out and prove me totally wrong, but as he’s priced around Evens, I shall look elsewhere for a bit more value.

Banbridge was a horse I was interested in, but I think he would be much better suited to faster ground than we’re likely to get at Cheltenham this time around. Frankly, the going scuppers his chances enough for me to leave him alone, especially with a 3/1 price tag.

So, I am going to put my faith in (and my money on) Appreciate It, at more lenient odds of 9/2. I think he is probably the fastest horse in the race, he jumps well enough and I just feel he is the one over this trip that will be seen to best effect. He can’t afford any errors mind, but he has been round Cheltenham before and I think this is his time to shine.

14.10: The Pertemps Handicap Hurdle (HCP) 3m

My initial fancy for this race was Shoot First, but unfortunately, he has just been pulled out, leaving this race wide open again. I think the JP McManus pair, Thanksforthehelp and Perceval Leggollais, have a great shout here at single figure prices and I will back both in some way, shape, or form. However, a couple at bigger prices have also caught my eye and offer decent each way value. Good Time Jonny at 10/1 for Tony Martin and also the 11-year-old Mill Green, who is priced at a massive 25/1 and runs for the Nicky Henderson team.

Both have a decent Handicap mark, but they really will need to be in top shape to get the job done. I’ll probably wait until Thursday to nail down my final selections for this so don’t forget to check out my YouTube Channel for my final choices.

14.50: The Ryanair Chase (Grade 1) 2m 5f

Next, we come to the Ryanair Chase, where Shishkin is odds on to win for the Nicky Henderson team. Time to sit back and just watch a race, full stop. This is a situation where we know who the best horse is and he won last time out, but his only other appearance since last year’s Festival was hardly world-stopping.

He clearly has the engine and speed, but he just isn’t a banker in my eyes and at odds on, I’ll have to pass. I might be proven completely wrong of course, but I’m looking at Fury Road as an alternative. I think he has a good chance of picking up the pieces if Shishkin doesn’t perform on the day and at 17/2 he offers enough value for an each way punt.

Cheltenham Bookies

Cheltenham finishing line

15.30: The Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle (Grade 1) 3m

Flooring Porter will take centre stage here, as he tries to gain his third successive Stayer’s victory. In 2021 and 2022, he won by a decent enough margin, but I think he will be really up against it this time, as a host of new recruits step up to try and steal his thunder.

I put up Teahupoo as a 9/1 ante post bet for this race, but the closer we get, the more I fancy Home By The Lee who has been very progressive since switching to Hurdles over this trip. He certainly has staying power, he’s very straightforward and I am a big fan of hold up tactics in the Stayers. Flooring Porter will probably use his usual front running tactics to try and fend off the challengers, but I think this might just set the perfect scene for Home By The Lee to demonstrate his awesome turn of foot. Even if he doesn’t win, at 6/1 Home By The Lee still holds enough value to back each way, so he will be one of my best bets for today.

16.10: The Plate Handicap Chase (HCP) 2m 4f

I really look forward to the Plate every year and this time around I put up a 50/1 ante post shot for you to have a squeak at. Stolen Silver has some seriously good course form and could turn out to be one of the biggest stories of the entire Festival. He is likely to stay up front out of trouble and will be tough to peg back if back to his best form.

He has dropped a few pounds in the ratings and he is ahead of his mark now. Although Stolen Silver’s price has shortened a bit now to 33/1, that’s still huge.  I think he will be fully geared up for this run and could trouble the Irish contenders plenty.

Midnight Run could have a chance too at 25/1. He has some decent form in the book and again could take advantage of a dropped mark. He is likely to be very well suited to the conditions also. Definitely worth a small each way pop in my opinion. On that subject, it really is worth having a look around for extra places for this particular race, just to be certain that you get a good run for your money.

16.50: TheMares Novices' Hurdle (Grade 2) 2m 1f

For the Mares Novice Hurdle, I’m going against the short-priced Favourite, Luccia, as I have a much stronger fancy. I am particularly sweet on Ashroe Diamond, who is an impeccably well-bred classy type, who looks to me to be way ahead of schedule in comparison to her rivals.

She has finished third behind both Marine Nationale and Facile Vgea and that form alone clearly stacks up well here. She does have to carry a penalty for her win at Fairyhouse last time out, but I think she has enough class to see her victorious here. The 13/8 favourite, Luccia, looks like she may turn out to be the best of these in time, but she’s not for me this time around. Ashroe Diamond at 4/1 is definitely the one I’m siding with.

17.30: The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup (HCP) 3m 2f

To finish the day off, I have two selections for the Kim Muir. My first choice is Stumptown, priced at 7/2. I think that’s a decent enough price for a horse who looks to have real potential and is extremely well-handicapped. His jumping is superb and he looks like a real stayer to keep on side for the future. His price is nowhere near as short as most Cheltenham Favourites and he looks very solid indeed.

At a bigger price, Royal Thief is a live shout at 16/1. After a huge lay off, he came back with a very impressive win last time out on heavy going. Truly, you would have to mark that performance up based on how deep it was that day at Fairyhouse. He has had 60 days off since that win and should be fresh enough when he comes here. I’m convinced he’ll be progressing again and his double priced figure is very tempting indeed.

And here we go with the live action...

2023 Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Selections, Turners, Ryanair, Stayers, Mares Novice, Betting.co.uk

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