Turners, Stayers’ Hurdle, Ryanair Chase and Mares Novices Hurdle

Thursday at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival looks set to be a special treat of the week, with something for every player.

Stars of the day include Luccia, Mighty Potter, Shishkin, Paisley Park, Stage Star, Flooring Porter and El Fabiolo.

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Three Class 1 races take place on Thursday: The Turners, Ryanair Chase and the showpiece Stayers’ Hurdle.

Although Ryanair now has a prize purse of £211,013 versus the Stayers’ £182,878 cash prize.

The penultimate race of the day sees Ryanair Mares’ Grade 2 Novices’ Hurdle which can yield some big prizes but this year there are some races dominated by the favourites.

Odds and racing tips for the Cheltenham Festival

Turner’s Novice Hunt

Mighty Potter 11/10

Mighty Potter also offers incredible value and it wouldn’t be a surprise if it backfired that day.

Trained by Gordon Elliott, the horse was a big winner at the Dublin Racing Festival, beating Adamantly Chosen by over eight lengths.

Brings his hunting record to three out of three and will be one of the most supported favorites of this festival.

Ryanair tracking

Shishkin guessed 11/10

Shishkin, coached by Nicky Henderson, returned to his best form last time out as he increased his trip from his usual 2m to a 2m5f trip.

Win the Betfair Chase Grade 1 by an amazing 16 lengths over Pic D’Orhy and Fakir D’oudairies.

Prior to that win, the once 177-rated horse was shown in the Cheltenham Festival’s Champion Chase and then finished a disappointing third behind Edwardstone in his season debut in December.

But that return was incredibly eye-catching and the wind operation undertaken in January clearly did the trick.

He wouldn’t be out of place in many races at the festival this year but this race will certainly give him a chance to lead.

hurdle of stayers

Paisley Park 12/1

The highlight of the day is the 3m Paddy Power Stander hurdle.

It’s incredibly open this year with regulars like Paisley Park, Flooring Porter, Marie’s Rock and Klassical Dream in the field.

But at the forefront of the betting are newcomers to the Class 1 hurdling scene Blazing Khal and Teahupoo.

Flooring Porter won this last year with Paisley Park close behind, but the Emma Lavelle-trained horse has since regained form, winning the Long Walk Hurdle by over four lengths.

Typical brave feat, especially after coming up short by a neck in November’s long-distance hurdles duel with Champ at Newbury.

Ryanair Mares’ Novice Hurdle

Lucy 11/8

As the festival approaches, the support for this Henderson-trained mare grows.

It really wouldn’t be a surprise if she went into odds little by little.

She is a talented mare whose improvement comes with every step up in class and competition.

Henderson could have some big favorites at the festival this year if they justify their favoritism.

And Luccia is similar to the hype seen around Constitution Hill last year.

She won two flat contests by wide margins in 2022 and has followed that form across hurdles, beating She’s A Saint and Palace Boy in Class 1 events.

It’s possible the last competition wasn’t as strong as it could be, but she won in such style that suggests she has much more to come in the big event and loves to push forward.

All odds were correct at the time of writing

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