2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday Preview – DS
2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday Preview
Dave Stevos’ 2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday tips are below.
1.20 – Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (Grade 2)
Last year’s Champion Bumper winner Bambino Fever is very short odds to land this Grade 2. Too short? I think so. She was beaten fair and square on her hurdling debut and it was an egg and spoon race she won at Fairyhouse. In a huge field like this, it might be worth taking her on.
Oldschool Outlaw beat Bambino Fever at Naas and she proved that was no fluke by following up in a Grade 3 novice at Fairyhouse. What concerns me with her is the drying ground because she has yet to win without heavy in the description.
The one that interests me at much bigger odds is the Tom Cooper trained mare, Amen Kate. By Flemensfirth, whose progeny often flourish on nice ground, she has won two of her four starts over hurdles. She got off the mark at the second attempt at Galway (2m, gd-yld) and then after an unfortunate mishap at Punchestown, she added a listed mares’ novice at Thurles (2m, yielding) when last seen in December.
Talented Family
Bred by former Irish footballer Kevin Doyle, she is from a talented family. Her dam, Augusta Kate, was a Grade 1 winner, as was her grand-dam, the unbeaten Feathard Lady. Amen Kate’s two half-siblings have both earned black type already and her half-sister Baby Kate won a Listed bumper at this venue, which is an encouraging sign.
Jack Kennedy, who rode her for the first time when she won at Thurles, keeps the ride and she’s rated 131, so she hasn’t got to improve massively to mix it with the market leaders on the figures. At odds of 40/1, Amen Kate is the each way selection.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday Tip: Amen Kate e/w @ 33/1 (4 places)
2.00 – Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase (Grade 2)
Another big field and the one that leaps off the page at a big price is the Eoin Griffin trained 7yo, Ol Man Dingle. By Ol’ Man River, this lad made a perfect start to his chasing career, winning a beginners’ at Galway (2m2f, yielding) and following up in a Grade 3 novice at Cork (2m4f, gd-yld).
After that smooth success connections decided to shoot for the stars in the Grade 1 Drinmore at the end of November. While he went well for a long way, he eventually faded out of contention on the rain softened ground and that run is the reason he can be backed at 22/1 here.
This horse is at his best on nice ground and he’ll get his favoured conditions here. He’s been freshened up, which is a positive, as he was returning from 199 days off when winning at Galway and he was returning from a two-month break when absolutely hosing up over hurdles at Leopardstown’s Christmas meeting in 2024.
Griffin has decided to stick cheekpieces on Ol Man Dingle and as we have seen with the likes of Lossiemouth, they can potentially make a big difference. The form of his Galway win was boosted by Will The Wise here on Tuesday, hopefully Ol Man Dingle can run a similarly big race at odds of 22/1.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday Tip: Ol Man Dingle e/w @ 22/1 (5 places) NAP
2.40 – Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
Gordon Elliott’s winning machine Wodhooh heads the market and after the defection of Lossiemouth to the Champion Hurdle, this looks a golden opportunity for her to add a second festival win to her CV after her County Hurdle win last season. It will be a major surprise if she doesn’t win.
As for the rest of them, Take No Chances could be the one to chase her home. We backed this mare in this race at huge odds last season and she ran a blinder to get up for third.
She has yet to get her head in front this term but she has run some cracking races in defeat, including a neck defeat behind Strong Leader at Wetherby and a 1.5l defeat behind the now 154 rated Potters Charm at Windsor. You could argue that is amongst the best form on offer here and with odds of 10/1 available, she is worth backing each way.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday Tip: Take No Chances e/w @ 10/1
3.20 – Stayers’ Hurdle (Grade 1)
This has the makings of a cracking race. First of all, we have the old guard. Teahupoo, Bob Olinger, Home By The Lee and Ballyburn are festival veterans and they’ll be up against some exciting up and comers, such as Kabral Du Mathan, Honesty Policy and the one I like, Ma Shantou.
Teahupoo is the 11/4 favourite and he’s looked better than ever this year at the age of nine. He outstayed Ballyburn in the Hatton’s Grace to score by a nose and he then took the scalps of Bob Olinger, Ballyburn and Home By The Lee in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown. He won that race by 7l and if he’s in the same form, he’ll be bang there at the finish.
Last year’s winner, Bob Olinger, is an 11yo now so he isn’t getting any younger but he warmed up for this with a pleasing run on his seasonal reappearance behind Teahupoo at Leopardstown in December. He finished second in the same race last year before going on to win this and the festival specialist has form figures of 111 here in March.
New Kids On The Block
The old boys are unlikely to have things their own way, however, because there are some exciting new kids on the block. Kabral Du Mathan has looked a proper horse in both starts since joining the Skeltons and if his stamina holds out, which isn’t guaranteed, he will be a massive danger to all.
Emma Lavelle’s Ma Shantou is another fascinating young gun who has followed a similar path to Paisley Park en route to this race. He produced a career best when beating Impose Toi by 7l in the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle here in January and while he is 6lb worse off here, the rapidly improving 7yo should be up to confirming that form.
For me, Ma Shantou makes most appeal but he’s a shade too short for the blog at odds of 7/1. Hopefully all the big guns turn up in top form and it’s a cracking race. No bet.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday Tip: No Bet
4.00 – Ryanair Chase (Grade 1)
It is a bit of a travesty that Fact To File is running here rather than having a crack at the Gold Cup. He hammered the opposition at the DRF over an extended 3m and while his stamina for 3m2f is yet to be proven, if anyone else owned him he’d be running on Friday. The son of Poliglote bolted up in this last year and it is hard to see anything beating him if he is in a similar mood.
The King George runner up Banbridge also drops back in trip and once the ground hasn’t turned soft, he might be able to mount some sort of a challenge. Jonbon, who got back to winning ways at Ascot last time, and last year’s runner up Heart Wood are solid horses and Impaire Et Passe is no mug either but it’s another horse that will be running in the double green silks that catches my eye at a monster price.
50/1 Tempting
The 50/1 on offer about Matata is exceedingly tempting. He’s been overlooked here after a poor effort on soft ground at Windsor (2m6f) but on his previous start, he absolutely dotted up over this C&D on New Year’s Day and while it was only a handicap, it was a seriously impressive display to win by close to 10l off a mark of 154.
Usually ridden prominently, this time he was dropped out and the change of tactics worked perfectly. He tanked into the race, jumped the last couple of fences brilliantly and surged clear to win easily.
I actually tipped this horse for the Arkle back in 2024 when like all good e/w bets, he got tired late and ended up finishing one place out of the money in fourth. After that race, I never would have thought I’d be tipping him for a race over this far a trip, but here we are.
If he can repeat that New Year’s day effort here he probably won’t win, but it should be good enough to see him challenge for place money so I’m backing him e/w at odds of 50/1.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday Tip: Matata e/w @ 50/1
4.40 – Pertemps Final Handicap Hurdle (Premier)
We’ve already backed Electric Mason e/w at 16/1 and he’s now into 11s. His form behind Ma Shantou is going to be put to the test in the Stayers’ Hurdle and if he wins, I imagine he’ll shorten up further.
Against my better judgement, I’m going to back another one here. I tipped up Ike Sport for the Lanzarote Hurdle back in January and while he didn’t place, he was a massive eyecatcher. I thought to myself after the race that this horse definitely has a nice handicap pot in him and I wouldn’t be too worried about his poor run last time at Plumpton because of the rain softened ground.
This horse needs a strongly run race to show his best and he’s likely to get that here. He was doing his best work at the finish in the Lanzarote over 2m5f and he had previously stayed on well for second in the qualifier for this race at Wincanton over 3m, so stepping back up in trip will suit. Hopefully, this has been the plan and at odds of 50/1, it is worth chancing that it is.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday Tip: Electric Mason already advised @ 16/1 (4 places); Ike Sport e/w @ 50/1 (6 places)
5.20 – Kim Muir Handicap Chase (Class 2)
I’ve already put Weveallbeencaught up for this race and he’ll be ridden by J C Barry. McNamara has elected to put cheekpieces on and I am sticking with him. You can read why I like him here.
2026 Cheltenham Festival Thursday Tip: Weveallbeencaught already advised e/w @ 20/1 NB
Other Cheltenham Previews
Stayers’ Hurdle Stats That Matter
