Cheltenham Day 3 Tips - 'Bambino Fever the one they all have to beat'

The Cheltenham Festival enters day three where Three Grade 1s take place, the first of which is the Mares’ Hurdle, which was won last year by Champion Hurdle winner Lossiemouth

That is followed by the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase, with Bob Olinger and Fact To File returning to defend their crowns.

On top of that there are two Grade 2s and another two handicaps and we’ve picked out three bets for today’s racing.

BoyleSports Cheltenham Welcome Offer:"Free Bets and Money Back All Losers

13.20 Cheltenham - Bambino Fever

Bambino Fever looks the one they all have to beat in this mares’ Grade Two Novice Hurdle The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham last year, confirming herself as one of the most exciting mares in training.

She was beaten on her hurdling debut by Oldschool Outlaw who lines up again here and appears to be the main danger, but still shaped with promise on that occasion.

However, she showed bundles of improvement next time at Fairyhouse, routing her rivals by 12 lengths in emphatic fashion.

She showed plenty of improvement in that run and retains all the ability she displayed in bumpers. If building on that dominant Fairyhouse win, she sets a clear standard and looks the one they all have to beat.

15.20 Cheltenham - Teahupoo

Teahupoo returns to Cheltenham in a bit to regain his Stayers’ Hurdle crown. He boasts form figures of 312 in the race and was beaten by Bob Olinger last year, but reversed that form convincingly when beating him by seven lengths at Leopardstown over Christmas.

The Gordon Elliott-trained nine-year-old is two from two this season, arriving here in top form and clearly thriving. His proven stamina, strong finishing effort and consistency at the highest level make him a very reliable contender.

He tends to run his race in these staying contests and rarely disappoints on the big stage. He sets a very high standard once again.

It will likely take a progressive improver to beat him, but nothing in the field immediately stands out as capable of doing so and looks likely to become a 2x Stayers Hurdle winner.

17:20 Cheltenham - Jeriko Du Reponet

Jeriko Du Reponet has been gaining valuable experience over fences this season and now looks very well handicapped for the Kim Muir.

The Nicky Henderson-trained seven-year-old is effectively 4lb lower than his hurdle mark of 145, which helps him sneak into this contest and makes him a very interesting contender.

He was clearly aimed at a big handicap last season, finishing second to a stablemate at Cheltenham in a competitive field, showing he handles the track well.

While his chasing technique has not always looked the most fluent, the addition of cheekpieces and the booking of Derek O’Connor, who has won this race twice in the last eight years, are both pluses.

With his proven stamina and class he looks extremely well treated off this mark. If putting in a clear round of jumping, he appears to have a major chance and, bar accidents, should take plenty of beating.