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- Day 2
Day 2: Ladies Day - Wednesday 11 March 2026
12 3 25 Cheltenham Marine Nationale and Sean Flanagan won the Queen Mother Champion Chase
© Healy Racing PhotosIt is all about speed on day two of the Cheltenham Festival when the two-mile champion chasers take to the stage and here you can find our best day 2 tips for the Cheltenham Festival.
Find Cheltenham day 2 tips right here and see more expert Cheltenham Festival tips here to discover which horses can make a splash in the big races of the day.
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Vincent Finegan's Cheltenham Tips Day 2
Nap - Marine Nationale - Queen Mother Champion ChaseMarine Nationale is unbeaten at the Festival following wins in the 2024 Supreme Novices Hurdle and in this race last season. Connections gradually brought him along last season to peak at Cheltenham and assuming that is the same idea again, he looked well on track for a repeat with his excellent performance at Leopardstown over Christmas on his seasonal debut.
Next Best - No Drama This End - Turners Novices HurdlePaul Nicholls has tended to swerve Cheltenham with one or two of his top horses in recent seasons, but No Drama This End looks tailor made for the Turners. The six-year-old was a decent performer in Bumpers last season, 8th in the Champion Bumper, but has really come into his own stepping up in distance over hurdles. Unbeaten in three starts over hurdles, including at Cheltenham in November, he looks a solid proposition.
Laurence Morter's Tips
Day two of the Cheltenham Festival kicks off at 13:20 with the Turners Novices’ Hurdle and runs through to the finale at 17:25 with the Champion Bumper.
Our expert, Laurence Morter, has provided selections and analysis for three of the races on day two of the Cheltenham Festival.
- Wednesday’s Tips
- 14.00 Cheltenham - Sixmilebridge
- 14.40 Cheltenham - The Yellow Clay
- 16.00 Cheltenham - Il Etait Temps
14.00 Cheltenham - Sixmilebridge
Sixmilebridge has been perfect this season with three wins from three starts with the highlight being his superb display in the Scilly Isles Novices’ Chase at Sandown and all eyes now seem to be locked on the Cheltenham Festival.
He dominated a strong looking field on that day at Sandown, showing that he has the perfect amount of pace and stamina to take on some of the best Novice Chasers around. While he is entered in the Arkle and the Jack Richards’ Novice Chase, the Brown Advisory looks set to suit him best given the spring ground at Cheltenham will likely suit staying types and the step up in trip would be to his favour on quicker ground.
He also has a good record around Cheltenham, winning at the track back in December which should play into his hands.
Sixmilebridge will be coming up against much tougher opposition at the Festival who may push him to his limits, but he has shown that he has the ability at this level and should go well.
14.40 Cheltenham - The Yellow Clay
The Yellow Clay had a superb season last year as a Novice Hurdler, winning on his first four outings over hurdles before narrowly being denied a fifth win in the Turners Novice Hurdle at last year's Festival by this year's current Champion Hurdle ante-post favourite The New Lion.
However, it is fair to say that it has not quite come together for him this season. His season started off fairly well when taking second place on his reappearance at Navan, but he finished a long way back in the Christmas Hurdle when last seen on his first crack at three miles. He ran well for most of the race but weakened significantly after two out
Disappointing as that performance was, he retains all his class and a return to Cheltenham could bring out the best in him. The drop back into handicaps and stepping back in trip to 2m5f should suit him better and while he may not yet be able to handle the Stayers’ just yet, a go at the Cup Handicap Hurdle may be his best shot this season and if the handicapper treats him well, he will have a solid chance.
16.00 Cheltenham - Il Etait Temps
Il Etait Temps looked to have the world at his feet after dispatching Jonbon in this year’s Tingle Creek, so it was a huge surprise to everyone when he fell two from home in the Clarence House last time out.
The winner of five consecutive Graded chases starting in April 2024, he looked almost impossible to beat. But he looked to have a rare off-day last time out at Ascot, racing toward the rear of the field, not jumping with his usual fluidity and looking tired before his fall. Thankfully he got up without any issue and there are now questions for him to answer.
The main question will be how does he react after his fall? There is a chance that it may have knocked his confidence, but everyone has a bad day from time to time and he is a class act on his day, arguably still the best chaser in training.
His mistake at Ascot will lengthen his odds for this somewhat, but that should be considered a positive because if he bounces back, he will still take some beating.
More Cheltenham Festival tips
You can find more top Cheltenham tips for the festival below:
