Cheltenham Day Four

            Cheltenham Thursday

In a flash, we have reached the final day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival but we have another cracking days racing to look forward to and it doesn't look any easier to find the winners!  The stable does not have any runners and there are two other jumps meetings today at Doncaster and Fakenham.  There are also two all-weather flat fixtures at Southwell and Wolverhampton and in Ireland they also race on the all-weather at Dundalk.

The first race of today's meeting at Cheltenham is the Triumph hurdle at 1.20pm and this could be a good start to the British trainers, East India Dock is favourite but I fancy Lulamba for the Seven Barrows teams.  The Irish trainers dominate the top of the market in the County hurdle while they are likely to win the mares chase as well.  Jet Blue looks to have a good chance in the Albert Bartlett novices hurdle for France and best of luck to owner Professor Caroline Tisdall in this.  I am a big fan of Galopin Des Champs and I really hope he wins his third Gold Cup at 4.00pm.  Racing always needs superstar horses, he is one, and I hope he can make history this afternoon.  Best of luck to our amateur, Martin McIntyre who rides Take All in he Foxhunters at 4.40pm.  He is a big price, 66/1 and looks to have it all to do but I am sure he will give 'Fly' a great spin and you neve know what can happen!  The concluding race of the day is of course the Martin Pipe, conditional jockeys handicap hurdle.  It looks fiercely competitive and has been won by some very good horses, including the likes of Galopin De Champs.  Is there another future Gold Cup winner in this line up?!  Time will tell and I fancy the favourite, Kopek De Mee to end the meeting as it started, with a winner for Willie Mullins.

It was another great day of action at Cheltenham yesterday and I was there to see it!  I was most impressed by Fact to File who was brilliant in winning the Ryanair.  Bob Olinger led home a 1-2 for the owners, Robcour and showed again that previous Festival form is one of the biggest guides to winners with the same horses repeatedly coming back to Prestbury Park and winning.  American Sniper gave a bold sight from the front in the Pertemps handicap hurdle and still held every chance approaching the last hurdle but just weakened up the hill.  It was a great run, his owners enjoyed a wonderful day out, he is fine this morning and I can't wait until he jumps a fence next season.  There were sales after racing and there was plenty of money around to buy potential stars of the future. 

Manchester United beat Real Sociedad 4-1 in the Europa League last night and go through 5-2 on aggregate.  Spurs also won and so it was a good night for the English teams.

Enjoy the final day of Cheltenham everyone!