Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival takes place on Thursday 12 March and our top tipster Andrew Mount has a host of selections for the day. Having landed a 40/1 each-way place on Wednesday, he’s looking to claim more profit on another competitive day’s racing at Prestbury Park.
Check out Andrew’s Cheltenham Festival Day 3 tips below, which includes a 1.5pt win in the Stayers’ Hurdle at 3.20pm.
Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Tips (Thursday 12 March 2026)
Seven races get underway at Cheltenham on Thursday at 1.20pm, with the feature races on the card being the Grade 1 Stayers’ Hurdle and Grade 1 Ryanair Chase.
1.20 Cheltenham – Carrigmornaspruce (1pt e/w – 10/1 generally with the firms paying four places)
The Dawn Run looks set to be run at a strong gallop and, with a fierce headwind forecast in the straight, we should be looking for a hold-up performer who can get cover before picking up the pieces late. Step forward Carrigmorna Spruce, who took her career for figures to 211321122 (4-9) when chasing home Skylight Hustle in Grade 1 company at Leopardstown over Christmas. The fast ground will suit, and James Bowen takes over from her regular amateur rider.
2.00 Cheltenham – Regent’s Stroll (1pt e/w – 11/2 William Hill, five places, 5-1 Sky Bet, six places) & Kdeux Saint Fray (0.5pt e/w – 18/1 bet365, five places, 16/1 generally, including Sky Bet)
Paul Nicholls landed the inaugural running of the Jack Richards 12 months ago and can stage a repeat courtesy of Regent’s Stroll. The son of Walk In The Park had Grade 1 form over hurdles, finishing fourth to The New Lion in the 2024 Challow Hurdle and second by half a length to Stayers’ Hurdle hope Honesty Policy in the Mersey Novices’ Hurdle last term. He was pitched straight into Grade 2 company for his chase debut at Newbury in late November, going off as the 15-8 favourite but having no answer to Wendigo and No Questions Asked (Grade 2 winner since).
The seven-year-old comfortably landed a match at Wincanton next time and though beaten by Miami Magic here at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day that was no disgrace, with the winner bolting up by 15 lengths at Newbury subsequently and the third, Nicky Henderson’s Califet En Vol, winning at Kempton.
I also want to side with Kdeux Saint Fray who clocked a fast time when third in the big 3m Kempton handicap (formerly The Racing Post Chase) won by Lookaway last time. Anthony Honeyball’s six-year-old jumped out to his left on the right-handed track that day and will be happier back in this direction. He wasn’t far behind stablemate Jordans Cross and Quebecois when favourite for the Timeform Novices’ handicap chase over course and distance on his penultimate start – a key trial for the festival – and he might prove capable of reversing the form with the winner on better ground and in what should be a strongly-run contest.
2.40 Cheltenham – Take No Chances (0.5pt win – 10/1 William Hill & 0.5pt without the favourite (Wodhooh))
Wodhooh’s record over hurdles stands at nine wins and a Grade 1 runner-up effort to Lossiemouth from ten starts and she’s likely to prove hard to beat in the mares’ hurdle but with some of Gordon Elliott’s runners underperforming this week I’d rather side with Take No Chances, who returns to mares-only company for the first time since her fine 22-1 third to Lossiemouth in this race 12 months ago.
3.20 Cheltenham – Ma Shantou (1.5pt win – 13/2 bet365, AKBets, 6/1 generally)
Ma Shantou, seventh in last season’s Albert Bartlett, became the first Emma Lavelle-trained runner to make a successful handicap hurdle debut after a Grade 1 prep since Paisley Park in 2018 when accounting for subsequent scorer Electric Mason at Cheltenham in October and made it three from three at jumps racing’s HQ this season when landing the Cleeve Hurdle in impressive fashion. The Stayers’ Hurdle looks very realistic on that evidence and backing seven-year-olds in this race would have found six of the last ten winners (from 36 bets) for a profit of £48.63 to a £1 level stake at SP (+£120.50 at Betfair SP after 2% commission). The ground is right for him – unlike for favourite Teahupoo – and he looks set to run a huge race. I’m not certain that Kabral Du Mathan will stay the trip, especially if he fails to settle early doors, but he looks the biggest danger and he’s worth a saver and a reversed Exacta with the selection.
4.40 Cheltenham – Bold Endeavour (1pt e/w – 12/1 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes)
Bold Endeavour is 12-1 from 20-1 since I napped him for GG’s YouTube preview but he’s still worth a small interest with the Henderson horses flying. He placed at 50-1 in this race two years ago despite his yard’s horses being under a cloud and that seemed to knock him out of sync for the remainder of the season, as he ran shockers the next twice. The switch to Laura Morgan brought no reprieve last term but he caught the eye when returned to Nicky Henderson earlier this year, running third in the Huntingdon qualifier, and the spring ground is very much in his favour.
Andrew Mount’s Best Bets Today
1.20 Cheltenham – Carrigmornaspruce (1pt e/w – 10/1 generally with the firms paying four places)
2.00 Cheltenham – Regent’s Stroll (1pt e/w – 11/2 William Hill, five places, 5-1 Sky Bet, six places) & Kdeux Saint Fray (0.5pt e/w – 18/1 bet365, five places, 16/1 generally, including Sky Bet)
2.40 Cheltenham – Take No Chances (0.5pt win – 10/1 William Hill & 0.5pt without the favourite (Wodhooh) – no prices yet)
3.20 Cheltenham – Ma Shantou (1.5pt win – 13/2 bet365, AK Bets, 6/1 generally)
4.40 Cheltenham – Bold Endeavour (1pt e/w – 12/1 bet365, Coral, Ladbrokes)
Carrigmoornaspruce
Regents Stroll
Kdeux Saint Fray
Take No ChancesAndrew Mount’s Horse Racing Tips – Cheltenham Festival Day 3 – Thursday 12 March
Today’s Meetings & Start Times
- Cheltenham – first race 13:20
FAQs: Today’s Racing Tips
What are today’s racing tips?
Andrew Mount provides his best bets at Cheltenham on day 3 of the Festival.
Who is Andrew Mount?
Andrew Mount is a leading horse racing adviser, expert pundit and journalist, contributing regularly to the Racing Post, Racing & Football Outlook, Racing Post Weekender and William Hill radio as well as providing a daily tipping column for the GG.co.uk website for more than 20 years. Follow him on X: @TrendHorses
When were today’s Cheltenham Festival Day 3 tips published?
Today’s tips were published at 3.15pm on Wednesday 11 March 2026.
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