Stephen Harris’ Cheltenham Festival Day 3 Tips

Gordon Elliott’s winning hurdler has won one from eight over fences so far, shaping better than the bare result on each occasion in small fields until getting off the mark at Punchestown in February. A switch to a big field handicap unlocked plenty of improvement there over 3m3f, and he goes particularly well in testing ground (with this thorough stamina test looking a perfect fit for this ultra-competitive staying contest, before he heads to the Grand National at Aintree in April).

The booking of the top-class amateur Barry O’Neill certainly increases confidence that he will go very close with any luck in running.

Jeremy Scott’s highly regarded novice looks one of the nicest horses that his shrewd connections have ever had, and she might just be a bigger price than she should be because the yard is hardly known for winners at this meeting.

She has yet to come off the bridle to win two competitive Taunton contests this winter (very strong form for the track), including on properly soft ground over 2m3f in January, and is well worth her place in this valuable Grade 2 prize for mares.

Ben Pauling has enjoyed a real breakthrough season with some big Saturday winners and some cracking young novices in the yard (red hot at the moment with six winners in the last 14 days), and his strapping chaser is expected to revel in the sapping ground conditions in this prestigious Festival handicap.

He returned to his very best form at this track on New Years Day, storming through from off the pace on heavy ground under a confident ride from Ben Jones, and the very strong gallop assured in this big field should set things up ideally up the final climb for home.