Day Two of the Cheltenham Festival was one dedicated to the memory of Michael O’Sullivan.
Both horses involved in O’Sullivan’s 2023 Cheltenham double, Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty, prevailed in the Champion Chase and the Grand Annual Chase. Their wins coming just under a month after his tragic death from injuries sustained in a fall at Thurles.
With O’Sullivan’s tragic passing still at the forefront of the mind of everyone in the horse racing community, attention in terms of events over Cheltenham’s fences will be focused on the Stayers’ Hurdle and the Ryanair Chase.
Card
1.20 – Mares Novices’ Hurdle
The most recent addition to the Festival calendar, having first been run in 2016, trainer Willie Mullins will be hoping to re-establish his dominance of this race.
Mullins trained the first five winners, but the last four editions have been won by four different trainers. Mullins has endured a barren run in that time, but has seven runners in this one. Aurora Vega (9-1) is his best shot, but Sixandahalf is the 3-1 favourite.
2.00 – Jack Richards Novices’ Chase
Reintroduced to the programme for this year having initially been run from 2005 to 2020, 13-2 Nurburgring is the favourite for Joseph Patrick O’Brien. However, Caldwell Potter (16-1) is the only Grade 1 winner in the 20-strong field, making him a decent chance for trainer Paul Nicholls.
2.40 – Pertemps Handicap Hurdle
Seen as something of a stepping stone for younger horses with designs on bigger and better things in jump racing, Nico De Boinville will be hoping to bounce back from his disappointment aboard Jonbon in the Champion Chase. He rides 15-2 favourite Jeriko Du Reponet.
3.20 – Ryanair Chase
Run over two miles and four furlongs, this is the premier race for horses whose ideal distance falls somewhere between that of the Champion Chase and the Gold Cup. Mullins’ Fact to File is the 5-4 favourite, but 7-1 Protektorat is aiming to win for the second successive year for jockey Harry Skelton and trainer Dan Skelton.
4.00 – Stayers’ Hurdle
Thursday belongs to the long distance hurdlers as they tackle this three-mile Grade 1 contest. Teahupoo (13-8) is the favourite to prevail as he did in 2024 for Gordon Elliott, who also has the second favourite in The Wallpark (6-1). Lucky Place (7-1) provides another opportunity for De Boinville to atone for his Wednesday disappointment.
4.40 – Festival Place Handicap
This handicap chase has often proved a springboard to Grade 1 success. Last year’s winner Shakem Up’Arry (18-1) is in the field, but 9-2 favourite Jagwar won at Cheltenham back in January.
5.20 – Kim Muir Handicap Chase
A long distance race restricted to amateur jockeys provides the opportunity for another emotional victory as Michael O’Sullivan’s brother Alan rides 5-1 favourite Walking On Air on his Cheltenham debut.
Weather
The weather is set fair for Thursday. There will be partly cloudy conditions with a high of seven degrees Celsius.
How to watch
In the UK, you can watch all the races on ITV Racing and Racing TV. Racing TV is available through Sky and Virgin Media.
If you’re not near a TV set, you can stream the event via ITV Racing and Racing TV.
