Preamble

Greg Wood

It took a while for the Thursday of Cheltenham week to grow into its new role as the third day of four, but in recent years it has been second only to Gold Cup day itself in terms of attendance, and the glorious afternoon in 2019 when Paisley Park and Frodon took the feature events is fondly remembered by many as one of the best days at the Festival in recent decades.

So it will be interesting to see whether today’s train strikes will have an impact on the third day’s popularity, and put a dent in the Festival’s balance sheet in the process. Some regulars who travel by train may, of course, simply drive instead, but the prospect of enduring Carmaggedon both in and out of the course could also persuade others to sit it out on the sofa.

If the crowd does take a hit, the “Dammit, I wasn’t there” moments for stay-at-home fans could potentially include a repeat of Paisley Park’s success four years ago, as the evergreen stayer is back for a fifth crack at the feature event and not entirely out of it according to the bookies, who put him in at around 20-1.

It is a strong field up against him, however, and a more international one than usual too, with Gold Tweet, from Gabriel Leenders yard in France, attempting to follow up his Cleeve Hurdle success here in January. Flooring Porter is back to attempt to complete a hat-trick, while Teahupoo, who was the first horse to beat former Champion Hurdle winner Honeysuckle earlier in the year, could be the best of the younger generation.

Elsewhere on the card, Shishkin will bring a tear to Nicky Henderson’s eye if he can put last year’s failure in the Queen Mother Champion Chase behind him and score a third Festival success in all in the Ryanair Chase. Mighty Potter, meanwhile, will attempt to get the punters straight onto the front foot for the third day running when he sets off at odds-on in the opening Turner’s Novice Chase.

As ever, you can follow all the action throughout the day here on the live blog, so whether you are strikebound at home or soldiering on regardless, let’s hope it’s another Festival Thursday to remember.