Ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, OddsMonkey is producing a guide covering all aspects of the popular horse racing event. As well as our guide on the different offers and tips, we also dive into all the days of the four-day festival, with this guide focusing on the third day. Throughout the Cheltenham Festival we’ll take a look at what races are planned, the types of races they will be, the favorites and good picks for value betting in each race, and the winners ahead of the festival as a whole.

Cheltenham Music Festival day three overview

The third and penultimate day of the Cheltenham Festival is scheduled for Thursday 12 March. The third day is named St. Patrick’s Thursday, after Ireland’s patron saint. March 17th is Ireland’s National Day and Cheltenham Thursday is always named after the holiday to celebrate all things Irish as many trainers, jockeys and racing fans are from Ireland.

As with the other days of the festival, the third day will feature 7 races, the most notable of which will be held at 15:20 and 16:00 (GMT). The most prestigious race today is the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, a 3-mile Grade 1 event. Here are the seven races scheduled for day three of the Cheltenham Festival:

• Ryanair Mares Novice Hurdle
• Jack Richards Novice Limited Handicap Chase
• Close Brothers Mare Hurdle
• Obstacles for Rice Paddy Power Keepers
• Ryanair Chase
• Pertemps Network Final Barrier
• Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeplechase

The Cheltenham Festival is just around the corner so be sure to check out our Cheltenham Festival betting offers guide to find the best offers from different bookmakers that you can take advantage of!

Cheltenham Festival Day 3

While Oddsmonkey offers more general guides, such as our matched betting guide, we also dive into popular sporting events, including the Cheltenham Festival! Here, we’ll take a look at all seven different games that took place on day three.

13:20 – Ryanair Mares Novice’s Hurdle (Hurdle)

This particular competition is one of the newest at the Cheltenham Festival, having first been held at the 2016 festival. With a distance of just over 2 miles, there are currently 46 runners in the Ryanair Mares Novice Hurdle, with Bambino Fever the favorite at odds of 7/4 and Oldschool Outlaw the second favorite at odds of 3/1.

14:00 – Jack Richards Novice Limited Handicap Chase (Chase)

Last year’s winner was Caldwell Potter in a race over 2 miles, 4 furlongs and 17 hurdles. Looking ahead to this race, names such as Regents Stroll and McLaurey stand out at odds of 8/1 and 10/1 respectively, while Meetmebythesea and Waterford Whispers are both on the list of contenders at odds of 12/1.

14:40 – Close Brothers Mares Hurdle

There are a number of impressive horses in the line-up for this event, with challengers such as Lossiemouth, Wodhooh and Brighterdaysahead all ready to compete. As a Division 1 fixture, we’re looking at favorites like Lossiemouth at odds of 5/4.

15:20 – Rice Power Hurdle (Hurdle)

The Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle, a 3-mile race, is another Group 1 race and was won by Bob Olinger in 2025. This year, sources are predicting a similar outcome, with Teahupoo priced at 7/4 to regain the title from 2024. The Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle has 12 hurdles and is a test of endurance and skill, with Sire Du Berlais able to win at odds of 33/1 in 2023, making the victory one of the biggest odds-on winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

16:00 – Ryanair Chase

Last year’s winner was Fact To File at odds of 6/4 and the same horse is expected to do well at odds of 7/2. However, this year Gaelic Warrior is the favorite to beat at 2/1, with Jonbon and Banbridge trailing behind at 9/2 and 10/1 respectively. The Ryanair Chase, scheduled for 15:20 last year, enters the 2026 Cheltenham Festival’s iconic 16:00.

16:40 – Pertemps Network Final Handicap (Hurdle)

The Pertemps Network Final is known as the final of the 21 long distance qualifying events throughout the jumping season and is widely regarded as an important stepping stone for horses. Doddiethegreat won last year at odds of 25/1, and this year’s edition features two excellent prizes: Cest Different and Supremely West, at odds of 10/1 and 12/1.

17:20 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Steeplechase (Chase)

The final race of the day, the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap is a long distance handicap race over a distance of 3 miles 2 furlongs. It is restricted to amateur jockeys with a maximum rating of 145. Jeriko Du Reponet is favorite at 5/1, with other horses such as Backmersackme and Will The Wise expected to challenge. Winner in 2024 with trainer Gavin Cromwell and jockey Derek O’Connor, Enowish King then went on to win the prestigious Gold Cup in 2025.

Day three of the Cheltenham Festival is coming to an end and there is plenty of fun and exciting action expected on day three of the Cheltenham Festival. OddsMonkey have also produced guides for the different dates at the Cheltenham Festival, so be sure to check out our Cheltenham Festival Day 4 guide and our specific Cheltenham Festival Gold Cup guide!