Best Backed Horses for Cheltenham Festival Day 3 – 14th March 2019

James Boyle

Published: March 14, 2019

Having developed an interest in racing whilst in college some years ago, James has worked in many areas of the industry, including a stint hiding his face on radio! From 2008 until 2017, he ran a successful tipping service and has had shares in numerous horses including the wonderful Fast Shot. Unsurprisingly given some of the horses he has bought shares in, his punting passions lie in sprint handicaps on both the turf and All-Weather surfaces!

We’re set for yet another fascinating day’s racing at Cheltenham and the first of our five Best Backed Horses at the festival is Defi Du Seuil, a Philip Hobbs inmate who has previous here having won the Triumph Hurdle in 2017. His form over fences thus far stacks up well and he looks set to lay down a strong challenge to his nine rivals.

Champers On Ice lines up in the Pertemps Final at 2.10pm for David Pipe and Tom Scudamore. The 9-year-old was third in the Albert Bartlett a few years ago and caught the eye when qualifying for this race at Haydock last month. Off a mark of 135, he’s undoubtedly well-treated and it’s interesting to see the money around. The yard also know what it takes to win this, having done so in 2010 & 2011.

Our third runner is Paisley Park in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Emma Lavelle’s son of Oscar has been the standout staying hurdler in Britain, improving significantly to land all four races this term including a Grade 1. This will be the acid test but the market is getting behind his chances and on the back of a hugely impressive C&D success last time, he’s sure to be a major player again.

Eamon An Cnoic is another David Pipe runner to come in for support and he has a likable profile for the Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate Handicap Chase at 4.10pm having scored comfortably over two-miles at Chepstow a few weeks back, improving for having had a wind-operation in December. The trainer has stated that a tilt at the Grand Annual would have been the horse’s ideal target but he does stay this far and the yard have won the race five times since the turn of the century.

Last, but certainly not least, comes the Gordon Elliott trained Measureofmydreams in the Kim Muir at 5.30pm. The 11-year-old will be bidding to give jockey Jamie Codd a third win from three rides at this year’s festival so far and shaped with definite encouragement on his first start for almost two years when third at Fairyhouse last time. He has gone well at the festival before, finishing third in the four-miler in 2016, and could go a couple of places better in handicap company off a lovely mark of 137.

Below we have compiled the most popular bets for Day 3 of the Cheltenham Festival so far.