Cheltenham Festival LIVE: Punter boasts 50/1 win as Russell hits back
Cheltenham Festival 2023: All you need to know
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Day two of the Cheltenham Festival saw some future stars unearthed, and day three looks equally as enthralling. Energumene hardly came out of first gear to retain his Champion Chase crown, and his former rival Shishkin will be keen to emulate that success in the Ryanair on Thursday.
Racing will start at 1.30pm with the Turners Novices Chase, with Mighty Potter odds on to land the spoils. The Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old has improved with every start this season and will take a lot of stopping under Davy Russell, with Appreciate It hoping to spoil the party.
The Pertemps Handicap Hurdle and Ryanair Chase then follow up before the feature race, the Stayers’ Hurdle. In a wide-open contest, Teahupoo has been backed into favouritism ahead of Blazing Khal and two-time winner Flooring Porter, fans’ favourite Paisley Park also has an outsider’s chance. The Magners Plate then completes the ITV televised coverage, with the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and Kim Muir Challenge Cup rounding off the card.
Stay tuned as Express Sport provides you with all the latest news and updates from the Cheltenham Festival…
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The Real Whacker lands 50/1 ante-post bet
Former jockey Paddy Merrigan has revealed that he landed a massive touch at the Cheltenham Festival by backing The Real Whacker for the last six months at ante-post prices.
The gelding battled gamely to win the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase on Wednesday, going off at odds of 8/1. Though Merrigan had such faith in his ability that he has been telling friends and family to back him at much bigger prices.
Merrigan explained: “The whole of Ireland has backed this horse for six months.
“We have cleaned the bookies, it’s over. 50-1 is the first bet I had, don’t worry about I much I win. I can assure you it was the biggest bet of my life.
“The bookies got educated today. This is a serious issue, I want to use this moment now. I backed this horse for six months, I told thousands of other people to back him, they all did.”
Davy Russell hits back at Michael O’Leary
Irish jockey Davy Russell has hit back at Gigginstown Stud owner Michael O’Leary for telling him that he should not have come out of retirement for the Cheltenham Festival and put his family first.
The 43-year-old retired earlier this year but decided to return to the saddle just 18 days later after Gordon Elliott’s retained rider Jack Kennedy broke his leg.
Russell retired to the quotes, telling ITV: “I have about as much respect for Michal O’Leary’s opinion as he has for my opinion. I didn’t see any ‘Father of the Year’ awards being thrown out yet and I’m happy enough with my responsibilities at home. That’s about it.”
O’Leary has numerous horses being trained by Elliott, and Russell is booked to ride three of his horses over the next two days of the festival.
Welcome!
Good morning and welcome to Express Sport’s live coverage of day three of the Cheltenham Festival! The Stayers’ Hurdle is the feature race today on what looks a tricky card to unpick.
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