Cheltenham Day 3 Tips: Skeltons to reign supreme on Thursday

It's been a difficult week, there's no sugar-coating it. But it's a marathon, not a sprint, and we're at the halfway stage. Plenty of time to turn it around.

I'm quietly confident about a number of my Cheltenham Day 3 tips, which includes a 7/2 Nap and one at 12/1 against the 'Irish banker' Bambino Fever.

13:20 - Echoing Silence each-way @ 12/1

Bambino Fever and Oldschool Outlaw set a high standard in the Mares' Novices' Hurdle, but at the prices in a race that's prone to a 'shock', I'm with ECHOING SILENCE.

The six-year-old daughter of Doyen for Henry de Bromhead, who's won two of the last five renewals, forms part of my antepost book and I've not lost any faith.

She created a bit of a buzz in the sales ring at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival, going to Kenny Alexander for a whopping £410k, and as a result there were plenty of long faces after her debut under rules at Navan that December, where she finished 20 lengths off the winner back in fifth (of 16).

I assume she wasn't quite right, for she spent the next 100 days on the sidelines before winning a Down Royal bumper by a couple of lengths.

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Fast forward to the start of the current campaign and Echoing Silence bolted up over 2m4f Cork, pulling over six lengths clear of rivals rated 118 and 122.

Weeks before Christmas she was tried in Listed company at Punchestown and went in again, beating Switch From Diesel, who was a close-enough second to the aforementioned Bambino Fever last year, by a couple of lengths with Carry On Heidi, who ran a good race behind Oldschool Outlaw in a Grade 3 at Fairyhouse the last day, a further five lengths adrift.

Notably, that was during a time the De Bromhead yard was desperately out of form. No winners from 44 runners in 20 days, it was. So, her performance ought to be marked up quite significantly.

She's been kept for this since, and there's arguably none better at readying one for the big day so it's fair to say I'm expecting a big run.

She can silence the Cheltenham crowd, who are likely to be cheering on Bambino Fever, in Thursday's opener.

14:00 - Sixmilebridge @ 13/2

If you listen to the chatter, Meetmebythesea is a shoo-in for the Jack Richards Novices' Handicap Chase.

He's got a big chance, but I'm hoping SIXMILEBRIDGE can provide trainer Fergal O'Brien his first-ever Cheltenham Festival success.

The seven-year-old is unbeaten in three starts this season, winning on debut at Ayr in November before giving the 137-rated Califet En Vol weight and a 13-length beating over course and distance just before Christmas.

He then went to Sandown for the Scilly Isles, a Grade 1, in the new year and beat Gordon Elliott's Kala Conti and Miami Magic, who got the better of Regent's Stroll previously and has since bolted up by 15 lengths at Newbury.

The selection was more than deserving of a place in the Brown Advisory on Wednesday, but connections opt for this instead. I suspect they were pleasantly surprised by his mark of just 150. It does seem very fair.

Presumably under another prominent ride by Kielan Woods, I'm very hopeful he'll be, at the very least, involved at the business end.

14:40 - Jade De Grugy @ 9/4

Wodhooh, a Cheltenham Festival winner already, is 9-10 over hurdles. Her only defeat? To a certain Lossiemouth, whose Champion Hurdle triumph on Tuesday was her fourth in a row on the biggest stage of all. And yet... I find myself wanting to oppose her in the Mares' Hurdle on Thursday.

I've been unimpressed by the manner of her two wins this season and if you look through her formbook as a whole, what has she actually beaten? Joyeuse, Act Of Authority, Celtic Dino, Feet Of A Dancer. Good, but not great horses. Far from it. Also, the Gordon Elliott form is a serious cause for concern.

In JADE DE GRUGY, she takes on her toughest opponent since Lossiemouth.

Willie Mullins' seven-year-old was second in the race last year, behind the new Champion Hurdler, before bolting up by six-and-a-half lengths against Gala Marceau and Brighterdaysahead in a Grade 1 at the Punchestown Festival.

That's very strong form and if she can run to that sort of level on her return to hurdling, having been chasing all season, she can absolutely put it up to Wodhooh. She's a great price to do so.

15:20 - Kabral Du Mathan @ 10/3

I was planning on tipping up Teahupoo in the Stayers' Hurdle, but I'm extremely worried about the way Gordon Elliott's horses are running this week.

Alternatively, the Skeltons are flying and they were rather bullish about KABRAL DU MATHAN in the build-up to the Festival.

The six-year-old was an emphatic winner of a Haydock handicap off a mark of 140 on his debut for the yard, before winning the Relkeel Hurdle at HQ on New Year's Day.

He beat Jingko Blue, who landed the Cup on Wednesday in good style, by five-and-a-half lengths which now looks a red-hot piece of form.

He'll be close enough to the pace, I'm sure, which on the evidence of the first two days is a huge positive. He also acts on this quick ground. He looks sure to run a huge race.

16:00 - Fact To File @ 8/11

It would be the result of the week in my eyes if Jonbon, at 10 years old, breaks his Cheltenham Festival duck in the Ryanair, but it's very, very hard to see him or any of the other seven runners putting it up to FACT TO FILE.

Willie Mullins and JP McManus' nine-year-old was imperious in this race last year, bolting up by nine lengths, and his victory in the Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival last time out was probably as good as that.

He looks right back to his best and should have no problems putting it up to Jonbon and fellow 10-year-old Banbridge, plus stablemate Impaire Et Passe who's simply a level below for me. He's impossible to oppose.

16:40 - Supremely West @ 7/2

Again, I had a Gordon Elliott horse - Staffordshire Knot - in mind for the Pertemps Final, but I'm forced to look elsewhere.

He's a very short price for what is a devilishly-tricky affair, but I can't get away from SUPREMELY WEST.

The eight-year-old joined Dan Skelton only last year and immediately made an impact, finishing third on stable debut in a qualifier over course and distance in October. The winner? Subsequent Cleeve hero Ma Shantou, who's rated 25lbs higher today. In second was the reopposing Electric Mason, who went on to win the valuable handicap on Haydock's Betfair Chase card off four pounds higher. He earned another seven-pound rise for that.

Since then, Supremely West has been out the back of the TV in races at Sandown and Aintree, meaning he comes here off two pounds lower than his qualifier.

Connections are full of confidence and I'm not surprised. With a bit of luck, he'll take the world of beating.

17:20 - Jeriko Du Reponet @ 3/1

Finally, I'm backing JERIKO DU REPONET to provide Nicky Henderson another winner at this year's Cheltenham Festival in the Kim Muir.

The JP McManus-owned seven-year-old has been an odd horse to follow. He was very short in the betting for the 2024 Supreme after winning a modest maiden at Newbury back in December '23, but when that day came he was pulled-up before the last.

Last year he showed precious little before finishing runner-up in the Pertemps Final, and then he reversed the form with stablemate Doddiethegreat in no uncertain terms at the Punchestown Festival a couple of months later.

He's been chasing this term and is yet to win in three starts, but I get the impression it's been all about this one day.

The handicapper's decision to drop him three pounds, from 148 to 145 which is the limit for the Kim Muir, was very generous - and the booking of top amateur Derek O'Connor suggests hopes are high with connections.

I wouldn't be surprised to see a career-best effort, at least over fences, from Jeriko Du Reponet in Thursday's finale.

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