Cheltenham Festival: St. Patrick’s Thursday

Can you believe that we are just a couple of weeks away from Cheltenham Festival 2017?  This is one of the biggest events in the horse racing world each year.  One day before the actual St. Patrick’s Day (which is on Friday, March 17^th) is Cheltenham St. Patrick’s Day (Thursday, March 16^th). 

This is the third day of the races, featuring the following seven events:

1:30     JLT Novices' Steeple Chase (2m 5f)

2:10     Pertemps Network Final (Handicap Hurdle) (3m)

2:50     Ryanair Steeple Chase (2m 5f)

3:30     The Sun Bets Stayers' Hurdle (3m)

4:10    The Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (Handicap Steeple Chase) (2m 5f)

4:50    The Trull House Stud Mare Novices' Hurdle (3m 1 1/2f)

5:30    The Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase (1m 5f).

One big change this year at Cheltenham is the new World Hurdle sponsorship. For the past decade, the World Hurdle has been backed by Ladbrokes. Last year, Ryanair replaced them as the official sponsor for the race after Ladbrokes failed to come to an agreement with the ruling body of the sport regarding the what percentage of their profits should go toward funding racing. But this year, Sun Bets took over from Ryanair as the official sponsor for the race, which is now known as the “Stayers’ Hurdle.”

Another big event is the Ryanair Chase, which takes place on the same day and is sponsored by Ryanair. Nicky Henderson is running two horses in this race: Josses Hill and Vaniteux.  Henderson reports to The Guardian, “They’re both in really good shape but Un De Sceaux is going to be a serious horse to take on.  Good ground is very important to both, and Un De Sceaux likes it soft, and if it’s soft ground, I think he’ll be impossible to beat”.

So keep a close eye on the track conditions if you are going to be wagering on the Ryanair Chase.

Another strong contender for the Ryanair Chase is Empire of Dirt.  This ten-year-old has put on impressive performances in the Festival Plate, Troytown, and the Irish Gold Cup, and could represent a good value. 

If you get to attend Cheltenham 2017 in person, you can look forward to live music and plenty of delicious food and refreshing beverages.  In fact, hundreds of thousands of pints of Guinness are sold during Cheltenham Festival every year - so many that some bookmakers actually offer odds on pints sold! 

But if you cannot attend in person and want to get into the spirit of St. Patrick’s Thursday at Cheltenham, be sure to grab a Guinness (or several) and put on your St. Paddy’s Day green.  Plan your bets out in advance though - you should never wager while you’re drinking.

While missing out on the party might be upsetting, you can still watch the St. Patrick’s Thursday races at home on ITV or you can stream them live at one of our top UK betting sites.  You can also place your wagers online without waiting in line.  Find out about the best promotions in the Cheltenham Festival 2017 page.

Make sure to read up on the other three days of Cheltenham 2017:

• Champion Day

• Ladies Day and 

• Cheltenham Gold Cup Day.