Cheltenham 2019: Betting tips, runners, riders, favourites and best bets for Ryanair Chase, Stayers' Hurdle and more

Thursday’s races at the Cheltenham Festival have historically been favourable to Irish runners, with 18 of the 21 winners over the last three years going to Irish-trained horses.

Willie Mullins-trained Footpad leads the way in the market for the hotly-anticipated Ryanair Chase, but the feature race on St Patrick’s day at The Festival, the Stayers’ Hurdle, has Emma Lavelle-trained Paisley Park installed as favourite.

Paisley Park has proven on numerous occasions that it can handle the occasion at Cheltenham, most recently at Trails Day in January, but there are questions over the quality it’s faced in its unbeaten season.

Selections: 1.30 Defi Du Seuil, 2.10 Cuneo, 2.50 Frodon, 3.30 Paisley Park, 4.10 Siruh Du Lac, 4.50 Posh Trish, 5.30 Measureofmydreams

1.30 JLT Novices Chase

Barry Geraghty is a big fan of Philip Hobbs-trained Defi Du Seuil and it stands as his latest chance to get his first win in this year’s Festival. It was beaten by Lostintranslation at Cheltenham in January, but made amends for that with victory over Colin Tizzard’s selection at Sandown a month later.

Real Steel and Kildisart stand reasonable chances, but Vinndication, trained by Kim Bailey, could take a surprise win if David Bass can hold off the chasing field and lead from the front.

2.10 Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle

Form seems to go out of the window in this with just two horses winning this on the back of victory in a qualifying race.

That said, Cuneo stands a good chance of victory after beating favourite Sire Du Berlais at Leopardstown over three miles. Questions, however, will rightly be raised over whether or not it can replicate that form.

The only thing to look out for is Gordon Elliot’s form on Thursday at the Festival. Last year he won three of his eight races on St Patrick’s Day, including this race with 6/1 Delta Work.

2.50 Ryanair Chase

This race continues to grow in stature and is considered by some in the same regard as the day’s feature race.

open image in gallery

Footpad leads the betting but a lot of attention has been drawn to Frodon. Bryon Frost and the Paul Nicholls-trained horse have a great record at Cheltenham recently, winning two of the last three previous appearances at Prestbury Park, including a win in January ahead of Terrefort and Elegant Escape.

Footpad brings with it the Ruby Walsh-Willie Mullins partnership that is so popular at Cheltenham, but it has not had the best preparation. Its fall at Naas in November was unfortunate, but finishing second to Simply Ned in December is greater cause for concern.

Road To Respect seems a Gold Cup horse in the making and deserves to be considered too.

3.30 Sun Racing Stayers’ Hurdle

It’s very hard to look past Paisley Park after a transformation season that has seen it soar in the official ratings. Emma Lavelle’s only Grade 1 winner has been prepared for this race for a while, but must prove itself on what could be unfavourable soft ground.

open image in gallery

Bacardys has a lot to prove after a near-two-year spell without a win. Faugheen has been given a short price but is unlikely to become the first 11-year-old to win this since 1986.

4.10 Brown Advisory and Merribelle Stable Plate

This is a very hard one to call between Janika and Siruh Du Lac. Nick Williams-trained Siruh Du Lac was the winner when these two went at it on Trials Day in January, but you can expect to see an improvement from Nicky Henderson’s runner.

open image in gallery

Azzerti was once a high price and has good form in competitive fields. JP McManus-owned Boureull was put under the stewardship of Ben Haslam after an uneventful four years with Paul Nicholls and has looked close to its potential in its last two outings and is one to keep an eye on.

4.50 Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle

Epatante has been given short prices due to pre-Festival hype and little more than that. It is a mare with serious ability, but the hard running could slow it down. It’s persona around the course gets a bit spicy, so if channelled in the right way it could be one to watch.

Posh Trish has shown average but consistent form this season and may suit this race better than Epatante.

Emily Moon is one to watch out for if higher stakes are your thing. The market seems to suggest its 14-length win over a Mullins horse last time at Naas was a bit of a fluke. The bet for this would really be just to check whether that was a coincidental victory or not.

5.30 Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Riders’ Handicap Chase

Jamie Codd has an excellent Cheltenham record and it would be right to consider Measureofmydreams in this one. Gordon Elliott is confident about its chances, although it is not a solid runner given its tendency to slam into the odd fence.

Captain Chaos might be a fun one to keep an eye on at a high price. It was second to Lake View Lad last time, which now runs at 155, and connections have been gearing it up to this race for a while.

All odds quoted are Betfair. The Betfair Exchange had the best odds on every winner at the Cheltenham Festival last year. Small Details. Big Results at Cheltenham with Betfair. BSP v ISP. Exchange win market only. BSP is a win only calculation. 5% commission deducted. Further charges may apply. T&Cs Apply.​

Please gamble responsibly.

If you are looking for help, advice or support in relation to your gambling, please go to: BeGambleAware.org or contact the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.