Cheltenham Festival 2025 Day Three: Rachel Blackmore steals the show with two wins

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And with that we’ll draw a close to our live coverage of Cheltenham Day Three, a day headlined by two superb wins from Rachel Blackmore.

She’ll go again the Gold Cup tomorrow but all eyes will be on the two-time champ Galopin Des Champs.

We’ll see you for it then, goodnight!

So, Day Three is in the books at Prestbury Park which can only mean one thing – it’s Gold Cup day tomorrow. Here’s how the schedule’s looking:

1.20: JCB Triumph Hurdle (Grade 1) Race conditions: £150,000 | 2m1f | 8 hurdles

2.00: BetMGM County Hurdle (Grade 3) Race conditions: £98,370 (2024) | 2m1f| 8 hurdles

2.40: Paddy Power Mares’ Chase (Grade 2) Race conditions: £120,000 | 2m4½f | 17 fences

3.20: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 1) Race conditions: £150,000 | 3m | 12 hurdles

4.00: Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) Race conditions: £625,000 | 3m2½f | 22 fences

4.40: St James’s Place Hunter Chase (Listed) Race conditions: £50 | 2m4½f | 17 fences

5.20: Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle Race conditions: £75,000 | 2m4½f | 10 hurdles

Another great day of action on St. Patrick’s Thursday and it was a day that belonged to the one and only, Rachel Blackmore.

1.20: Ryanair Mares Novices’ Hurdle

Winner: Air Of Entitlement (16/1)

2.00: Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase

Winner: Caldwell Potter (7/1)

2.40: Pertemps Final

Winner: Doddiethegreat (25/1)

3.20: Ryanair Chase

Winner: Fact To File (6/4F)

4.00: Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle

Winner: Bob Olinger(8/1)

4.40: TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase

Winner: Jagwar (3/1F)

5.20: JRL Kim Muir Challenge Cup

Winner: Daily Present (12/1)

1st: Daily Present (Mr Barry Thomas Stone) 12-1

2nd: Johnnywho (Mr Derek O’Connor) 9-2 Fav

3rd: Sa Majeste (Mr P W Mullins) 8-1

4th: Weveallbeencaught (Mr Toby McCain-Mitchell) 28-1

One of the tighest finishes we’ve seen today, perhaps of the entire Festival so far this week.

Daily Present seemed to come from nowhere but rallied superbly to see off the challenge of Johnnywho, who did not falter for one second. Superb racing.

Manofthepeople makes a charge towards the line but quickly fades. Two emerge from the pack, Johnnywho and Daily Present, and it’s Daily Present who edges it down the home stretch in a thrilling finish.

Mint Boy unseats his rider at the ditch and into the final mile we go. It’s still Sa Majeste and Manofthepeople who lead at the front of the pack.

Sa Majeste and Manofthepeople share the lead as they make the turn at the halfway stage. It’s awfully tight at the front – anybody could win this.

Sa Majeste still holding the lead as Gelino Bello is pulled up by Olive Nicholls.

Willie Mullins’ Sa Majeste leading by a couple of lengths but there’s a long way still to go in this one and plenty in contention.

Another false start so out comes the rope for the standing start. A slight pause as Sine Nomine receives a quick veterinary check-up but now we are underway.

17:20 Kim Muir Handicap Chase (9/2 – Walking On Air)

‘Sa Majeste was a lucky winner last time out. WALKING ON AIR looked unlucky to me at Doncaster as he fell at the last when he was going to win. He’s the one for me.’

Ruby Walsh was speaking to Paddy Power.

It’s the final race of the day – here’s how the bookies have it:

• Walking On Air – 100/30
• Midnight Our Fred – 9/2
• Jonnywho – 6/1
• Sa Majeste – 17/2
• Mint Boy – 9/1
• Git Maker – 11/1
• Yeah Man – 12/1
• Nine Graces – 14/1
• Westerninthepark – 20/1
• Wiseguy – 22/1
• Sine Nomine – 25/1
• Cleatus Poolaw – 28/1
• Music Of Tara – 28/1
• Weveallbeencaught – 28/1
• BAR – 33/1

*Odds provided by Betway (subject to change)

A fitting tribute paid once again to the late Michael O’Sullivan by the Plate Handicap’s winning jockey:

1st: Jagwar (3/1f) – Jonjo O’Neill Jr / O Greenall and J Guerriero

2nd: Thecompanysergeant (4/1) – Conor Stone-Walsh / Gavin Cromwell

3rd: Masaccio (11/1) – Tom Cannon / Alan King

4th: Mars Harper (100/1) – Tiernan Power Roche / Gordon Elliott

It wasn’t the cleanest of races from the favourite, but Jonjo O’Neil Jr. stuck with the task superbly and came on so strong in the closing stages.

The favourite times their charge to perfection and overcomes a few mistakes to storm over the line ahead of Thecompanysergeant and repay that faith from the punters.

Conflated falls back after a mistake and here comes Jagwar over the final fence…

Jagwar moving into a challenging position but it’s still anyone’s race with two to go.

Five to take and Conflated still has the lead. Seddon has moved up into second as a few start to fall off at the back of the pack.