As the Cheltenham Festival keeps unfolding on the tracks at Prestbury Park, Cheltenham Thursday steps into its reign. The third day of the Festival delivers on the first-rate racing action and participation of outstanding runners, skilled jockeys, and some of the best trainers in the world of National Hunt horse racing.
In this article you will find all the information on what to expect on Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival, what races are held on this day, and review in detail its race cards.
What Is Cheltenham Day 3?
Cheltenham Day 3 typically falls on a Thursday and is the third day of the Cheltenham Festival. Continuing the breathtaking action on the tracks, it hosts a number of highly anticipated races, including several competitive handicaps and not one but two prestigious championship races, namely the Stayers’ Hurdle Race and the Festival Trophy (the Ryanair Chase).
Known also as St. Patrick’s Thursday, this day celebrates all things Irish on and off the tracks, and you can feel a very special cheer in the air. Oftentimes, Irish racing fans appear on the rafts in green and gold attire to support the Irish spirit.
And of course, horse racing betting is as present as on the first two days, with bookmakers offering a wide range of betting markets on every race both at the venue and online.
Cheltenham Thursday Races (Full List)
The following are the races that will be conducted on Thursday, 12 March.
Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle
The Dawn Run Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle is a Grade 2 National Hunt hurdle race that accepts fillies and mares aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 1 furlong (2 miles and 179 yards, or 3,382 metres) and includes 8 hurdles to be jumped. It was introduced to the Cheltenham Festival in 2016 and accepts novice hurdlers.
Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
The Golden Miller Novices’ Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt limited handicap chase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 1/2 furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 127 yards, or 4,139 metres) and includes 17 fences to be jumped. Another relatively new addition to the Cheltenham Festival, it was established in 2011.
Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle
The David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race that accepts mares aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 furlongs (2 miles, 3 furlongs and 200 yards, or 4,005 metres) and includes 10 hurdles to be jumped. The race’s registered name honours a prominent National Hunt racing persona, David Nicholson, who achieved five victories as a jockey and seventeen as a trainer at the Cheltenham Festival.
Stayers’ Hurdle
The Stayers’ Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles (2 miles 7 furlongs and 213 yards, or 4,785 metres) and includes 12 hurdles to be jumped. It proudly carries the title of the leading long-distance hurdle event in Britain’s National Hunt calendar.
Ryanair Chase
The Festival Trophy is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 1/2 furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 127 yards, or 4,139 metres) and includes 17 fences to be jumped. It was added to the Cheltenham Festival in 2005.
Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle
The Pertemps Network Final is a Premier Handicap National Hunt hurdle race that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles (2 miles 7 furlongs and 213 yards, or 4,785 metres) and includes 12 hurdles to be jumped. To qualify for this race, a horse has to be placed in top four in one of the events from a series of qualifiers conducted within the preceding five months.
Kim Muir Challenge Cup
The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup is a National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 3 miles and 2 furlongs (5,230 metres) and includes 21 fences to be jumped. It is run for amateur riders.
St Patrick’s Thursday Feature Race – Ryanair Chase
The Ryanair Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged five years or older. It is run over a distance of about 2 miles and 4 1/2 furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 127 yards, or 4,139 metres) and includes 17 fences to be jumped.
The St. Patrick’s day race is officially registered as the Festival Trophy but is commonly referred to as Ryanair Chase for sponsorship reasons. It was inaugurated in 2005 when the Cheltenham Festival was expanded to include an additional day.
The latest winner of the Festival Trophy race is bay gelding Fact To File who was 8 at the time but celebrated his 9th birthday shortly after. After his first win in 2025, Fact To File has already been declared to take part in this year’s race. The race going community is waiting to see if he can score another win and join the ranks of the horses who won the Festival Trophy more than once.
Fact To File was trained by Willie Mullins and led on the tracks by jockey Mark Walsh. While for Mark this was his first win at the race, Willie Mullins holds the title of the most successful trainer of the Ryanair Chase with 6 wins to his name.
This year the Ryanair Chase is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm on Thursday, 12 March.
Currently, there are 26 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. The jockeys for the race are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:
- Banbridge (age 10, trainer Joseph O’Brien)
- Better Days Ahead (age 8, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Croke Park (age 8, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Edwardstone (age 12, trainer Alan King)
- Energumene (age 12, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Envoi Allen (age 12, trainer Henry De Bromhead)
- Fact To File (age 9, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Firefox (age 8, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Found A Fifty (age 9, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Gaelic Warrior (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Handstands (age 7, trainer Ben Pauling)
- Heart Wood (age 8, trainer Henry De Bromhead)
- Il Etait Temps (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Impaire Et Passe (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Jagwar (age 7, trainer Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero)
- Jango Baie (age 7, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- Jonbon (age 10, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- JPR One (age 9, trainer Joe Tizzard)
- Master Chewy (age 9, trainer Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies)
- Matata (age 8, trainer Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies)
- Protektorat (age 11, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Romeo Coolio (age 7, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Solness (age 8, trainer Joseph O’Brien)
- Thistle Ask (age 9, trainer Dan Skelton)
- Twinjets (age 9, trainer Paul Nicholls)
- Panic Attack (age 10, trainer Dan Skelton)
Cheltenham Racecard Thursday
The daily race card for the St. Patrick’s Day of the Cheltenham Festival 2026 is as follows:
Thursday, 12 March
Going: good to soft (soft in places)
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 1:20 pm | THE RYANAIR MARES’ NOVICES’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (Registered as THE DAWN RUN MARES’ NOVICES’ HURDLE) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about one furlong
(2m 179yds) |
4YO+ £105,000.00 |
| 2:00 pm | THE JACK RICHARDS NOVICES’ LIMITED HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (Registered as The GOLDEN MILLER) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about four and a half furlongs
(2m 4f 127yds) |
5YO+ £125,000.00 |
| 2:40 pm | THE CLOSE BROTHERS MARES’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Registered as The DAVID NICHOLSON MARES’ HURDLE) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about four and a half furlongs
(2m 4f 56yds) |
4YO+ £125,000.00 |
| 3:20 pm | THE PADDY POWER STAYERS’ HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About three miles
(2m 7f 213yds) |
4YO+ £325,000.00 |
| 4:00 pm | THE RYANAIR STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Registered as The FESTIVAL TROPHY) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | Two miles about four and a half furlongs
(2m 4f 127yds) |
5YO+ £375,000.00 |
| 4:40 pm | THE PERTEMPS NETWORK FINAL HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (PREMIER HANDICAP) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About three miles
(2m 7f 213yds) |
5YO+ £110,000.00 |
| 5:20 pm | THE ROSCONN GROUP FULKE WALWYN KIM MUIR CHALLENGE CUP AMATEUR JOCKEYS’ HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | Three miles about two and a half furlongs
(3m 2f 70yds) |
5YO+ £75,000.00 Rating 0-145 |
Cheltenham racecard for Thursday includes information that helps the race goers enhance their experience at the tracks and provides bettors with data for an informed decision before placing a wager at the Cheltenham races.
- Race time: Every race card includes a schedule with the starting time of each race. This way viewers know when the final runners will be declared and how much time trainers have to announce a non-runner.
- Horse number: Numbers attached to the side of the saddle help the horse stay visible to the viewers on the stalls during a fast paced race. They are also helpful for identification when two horses have similar sounding names. Bettors also place bets using these numbers to avoid confusion. However, assignment of the numbers isn’t in any way connected to the odds.
- Jockey: The synergy between the jockey and the horse is one of the essential factors that determines the outcome of the race for each pair. Knowing who will lead the horse on the tracks helps you understand what to expect. It is also useful to browse through the jockey’s recent performance and physical form.
- Trainer: Some trainers have more experience with a certain race or track, which can have a significant influence on the way they prepare the horse for the competition.
- Weight: Weight is vital information on a race card. It is usually displayed in stones and pounds (for example, 9-7, i.e. 9 stones and 7 pounds) next to the horse’s name. This includes the saddle, equipment, the jockey, and if necessary, the additional weight. Knowing a horse’s weight comes in handy during betting because it bears notable impact on how much the horse can accelerate, how it will perform over long distances or in different ground conditions.
- Official rating: While the official rating (OR) reflects the ability level of a horse, it in no way represents how likely it is to win the race. Instead, it is an evaluation of the horse’s previous performance and can change after each race based on how the horse performed. Higher official rating means a better horse. Horses with higher OR are assigned additional weight in correlation of 1 additional pound per 1 OR point.
Cheltenham Day 3 Runners – When Are They Announced?
The initial announcements for the St. Patrick’s Day races were made in the following chronological order:
- Ryanair Chase: January 6, 2026
- Stayers’ Hurdle: January 13, 2026
- Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle: January 13, 2026
- Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle: February 10, 2026
- Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase: February 17, 2026
- Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle: February 17, 2026
- Kim Muir Challenge Cup: February 17, 2026
For large scale events like the Cheltenham Festival, confirmed runners are declared within 48 hours before the start of each race. Any non-runners are announced on the morning of the race. Normally, this can be done up until 1.5 hours before the race starts but in certain conditions trainers are permitted to pull out their charges even after that, for example due to health issues or changes in ground condition.
All these changes play a significant role in how a race will develop and how the odds will form. That’s why every bettor should check the race cards on the morning of the race before making any bets.
What Time Do Cheltenham Thursday Races Start?
The current timeline for the Cheltenham Thursday races is the following:
- Gate opening: 10:30 am
- First race: 1:20 pm
- Headline race: 4:00 pm
- Last race: 5:20 pm
Thursday at Cheltenham Festival – Atmosphere & Highlights
Thursday at Cheltenham Festival celebrates the Irish presence in every possible way. From the green and gold clad viewers to the name of St. Patrick right in the way the third day of the Festival is usually referred to, the passion fills up every aspect of the race.
The day includes several competitive races, and the tension of the mid-week momentum is almost tangible, as the entire Cheltenham Racecourse is getting ready for the culmination of the event on Friday.
Cheltenham Day 3 FAQ
What is Cheltenham Day 3 called?
The third day of the Cheltenham Festival is also known as St Patrick’s Thursday. It is dedicated to the Irish presence at the tracks and celebrates the Irish tradition.
What races are on Cheltenham Thursday?
Cheltenham Thursday includes 7 races. These are: Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle, Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, Stayers’ Hurdle, Ryanair Chase, Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle, and Kim Muir Challenge Cup.
What is the main race on St Patrick’s Thursday?
The main race of St. Patrick’s Thursday is the Ryanair Chase, also known as the Festival Trophy. It was included in the Cheltenham Festival schedule in 2005. Another significant race is the Stayer’s Hurdle.
What time does Cheltenham Thursday start?
The gates open at 10:30 am on Thursday, 12 March. The first race will start at 1:20 pm, while the last one will begin at 5:20 pm. Be sure to check the start time before the beginning of the event for any changes.
When is the Cheltenham Thursday racecard released?
The initial announcement happens several weeks in advance, usually in January and February. Confirmed runners are declared within the 48 hour window before the start of the race. Trainers announce non-runners on the morning of the race.
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