Cheltenham Festival Timefigure Preview: Day three

As someone whose day job involves analysing race times more closely than most, I like to think I’m well placed to spot a betting opportunity where a notably impressive performance on the clock isn’t fully factored into the market, and there looks to be such a scenario in the opening race on Thursday, the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.

Last year’s Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever, who is fitted with a tongue tie for the first time, heads the market from old rival Oldschool Outlaw, who beat her on her reappearance at Naas in December, but it is Bambino Fever’s stable-companion Future Prospect that interests me most at a generous 22/1.

A quick look at her profile might suggest she didn’t go on last year after making an impressive debut in a bumper at Fairyhouse, a run that saw her start favourite, well ahead of 9/1-shot Bambino Fever, for the Grade 2 Mares bumper at the Dublin Racing Festival, but she ended up continually being too keen for her own good.

Professionally ridden for the first time on her only start over hurdles so far at Naas in January, she was always to the fore and ended up winning easily in a 122 timefigure backed up by sectionals that made those achieved in the Grade 1 Ballymore Novice Hurdle won by I’ll Sort That an hour later look grossly inferior by comparison.

With Paul Townend on Bambino Fever, Harry Cobden takes the ride and has a 25% strike rate for Willie Mullins since the pair started teaming up in 2025, most notably in the Scottish Grand National aboard Captain Cody. 

Jack Kennedy didn’t have his finest day in the saddle on Tuesday rather handing Lossiemouth the Champion Hurdle on a plate after setting a slow gallop, but he’ll be hoping for a possible Grade 1 double on Wodhooh in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle and Teahupoo in the Paddy Power Stayers Hurdle.

Wodhooh is the shorter priced of the two but has a bit to find on the clock with Jade De Grugy, who reverts to the smaller obstacles after winning a Grade 2 over Thurles’ soft fences last time.

The same accusation can’t be aimed at Teahupoo, however; he has the three best time performances in the field over hurdles crowned by a race-leading 161 in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown last time. He was beaten in this race last year, however, by Cheltenham specialist Bob Olinger, but that was a steadily run affair and there’s no obvious front runner in the field on this occasion.   

The Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap, the second race on the card, doesn’t look too tight an affair on the clock. Scilly Isles winner Sixmilebridge looks to hold very good claims despite his mark of 150 as does former Supreme winner Slade Steel, whose lesser exploits over fences have seen him get in on a mark of 146.

However, sectionals point the way strongly to Jordans Cross, who has always been strong at the end of his races and who won the always-informative Timeform Novices’ Handicap Chase at Cheltenham in January, a race that has already thrown up three next-time-out winners and whose runner-up Quebecois came extremely close to winning the Ultima off a 4lb higher on Tuesday.     

If I was asked to nominate the horse who I think is the best currently in training over fences it would be Fact To File, and he lines up in the Ryanair having won the Irish Gold Cup with ease at the Dublin Racing Festival.

He won this race last year, of course, and the 173 he posted that day puts him well clear of every rival here other than the horse who should probably have been running regularly at this trip for some time but has been kept to two miles, Jonbon.

No horse in training has compiled such a magnificent cabinet of 165+ time performances as he has, but he’s still missing that elusive Festival victory. The pair should fill the first two places but in what order I’m not quite sure.

However Jonbon fares, his trainer Nicky Henderson has the clock leader in the Pertemps Final in the shape of Bold Endeavour, who is the joint oldest horse in the field. His last six form figures of 000PP3 might not be persuasive, but three of those runs came for Laura Morgan, and he’s now back in the care of the trainer who sent him out to be a close fourth in this in 2024 off a mark of 143. His chance here off 130 is clear if he retains all his ability; Gowel Road, who was seen in the Stayers’ Hurdle last year, and Supremely West are the next best in.

Henderson also has a live chance in the concluding Kim Muir if a long-established gamble on Jeriko Du Reponet gets fulfilled but his chance on time isn’t obvious. That said, the same claim could be made about most of his rivals too in what is known as the ‘amateurs Gold Cup’ and I can leave this race.

Recommended Bets:

1pt win Future Prospect at 20/1 in the 13:20 Cheltenham

1pt win Jordans Cross at 15/2 in the 14:00 Cheltenham