Key events
BHA announce review into Cheltenham starts
One of the biggest issues for a number of years now at the Cheltenham festival has been the starts of races and this week has been the same so far with a number of unsatisfactory starts so far. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has now announced that a full review will take place into the starts of races at the Cheltenham festival following its conclusion.
The BHA’s statement reads: “Following several false starts in 2025, the BHA worked with the PJA and the Jockey Club to discuss the issues that were contributing to the starts. Measured alterations were subsequently made to some starting locations. At the same time, work was undertaken with jockeys to ensure that the rules and procedures were understood by all participants ahead of the start of the 2026 Festival.
“The review will consider factors such as the configuration of the course, the perspectives of riders from differing jurisdiction and licence types, the process of starting the race including the preliminaries and starting process, technology, the penalties and deterrents for rule breaches and the other, varied contributing factors which are unique to the Cheltenham Festival.”
Greg Wood
2.40pm DAVID NICHOLSON MARES’ HURDLE preview
The first of the card’s three Grade One events and, depending on the outcome of the opening race, the potential middle leg of a short-priced treble on the day as Wodhooh, the Martin Pipe winner 12 months ago, attempts to take advantage of Lossiemouth’s diversion to the Champion Hurdle after winning this race in both 2024 and 2025. She could well set off at odds-on, and while Majborough, the first odds-on shot of the meeting, proved bitterly disappointing on Wednesday, Gordon Elliott’s mare does not have the history of occasional jumping blunders that Majborough brought to the party. Willie Mullins’s Jade De Grugy, the runner-up behind Lossiemouth 12 months ago, is her principal rival according to the betting, and reverts to the smaller obstacles for the first time this season having taken a Grade Two over fences at Thurles in January.
Key form:
G3 Kerrymount Mares’ Hurdle, Leopardstown, 29 Dec 25, 2m 4f 103yd (Wodhooh)
G2 Mares’ Novice Chase, Thurles, 18 Jan 26, 2m 4f 198yd (Jade De Grugy)
G1 Mares’ Hurdle, Cheltenham, 11 Mar 25, 2m 3f 200yd (Jade De Grugy)
Timeform Top-Rated: Wodhooh.
Selection: WODHOOH
Greg Wood
2pm JACK RICHARDS NOVICE HANDICAP CHASE preview
Just the 18 runners for the handicap that replaced the Grade One Turners Novice Chase in the festival schedule, which almost makes you hanker for the days when there were just half a dozen or so and an odds-on favourite. Almost. All bar two or three are in with some kind of a chance (and let’s not forget that we had a 66-1 winner in a handicap chase here yesterday), but Jordans Cross has emerged as the likely favourite this morning for the Anthony Honeyball stable. The five-year-old landed a similar contest at the Trials meeting here in January which has an exceptional record for highlighting future festival winners, and while he is up 6lb having won that race by just a nose, the runner-up was Quebecois, who went very close in the Ultima here on the opening day. Regents Stroll, representing the same connections as last year’s winner of this race, Caldwell Potter, is also attracting plenty of support, while the pick of the Irish-trained contingent could well be Henry de Bromhead’s Slade Steel, who many punters will remember as the winner of the Supreme Novice Hurdle two years ago. He has yet to add to that win in six subsequent starts but has been keeping excellent company and drops into handicap company for the first time here.
Selection: JORDANS CROSS
If you think it’s breezy at Cheltenham spare a thought for those horses and staff who made the long tip to the north east as Hexham is off owing to high winds.
‼️RACING ABANDONED‼️
Unfortunately due to very high winds we have had to abandon racing.
We will be in touch with everyone who has purchased tickets/hospitality.
— Hexham Racecourse (@HexhamRaces) March 12, 2026
Greg Wood
1.20pm DAWN RUN MARES’ NOVICE HURDLE preview
A huge field for the opener, which will add to the pressure on the starting team to get them underway with the minimum of fuss, but two standouts in terms of form in Bambino Fever and Oldschool Outlaw. The pair have met before, in a maiden hurdle at Naas back in December, when Bambino Fever, last season’s Champion Bumper winner here, was making her debut over timber at the cramped odds of 1-4, and the backers came unstuck as Gordon Elliott’s mare ran out a half-length winner. Bambino Fever then made short work of 11 rivals at odds of 1-10 in another maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse, and will be a strong favourite today to reverse earlier form with her most obvious rival. The only other runner at a single-figure price is Carrigmoornaspruce, a six-year-old that is trained by Declan Queally but, unlike I’ll Sort That in yesterday’s opener, will be ridden by James Bowen. She was five lengths behind the winner in a Grade One at Leopardstown in December but still has something to find with the favourite on ratings.
Selections: BAMBINO FEVER
The action moves to the New Course today, with the first two days having taken place on the Old Course with the going officially derscribed as Good, Good to Soft in places. It’s very breezy out there on track this morning and there is a distinct possibility of some rain later. It was dry overnight and there was selective watering overnight, with 3-5mm of moisture applied. Precipitation (2-3mm) is predicted for later with wind speeds forecast to build throughout the day, with gusts reaching 40-45mph.
Here are the horses you can put a line through as they will not be lining up:
NON-RUNNERS TODAY
2pm Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
2 Sixmilebridge (Reason: unsuitable going)
15 Old Cowboy (Temperature)
3.20pm Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle
4 Gwennie May Boy (Lame)
4.00pm Ryanair Chase (Grade 1)
2 Croke Park (Bruised Foot)
5.20pm Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase
12 Uncle Bert (Going)
Fact To File, the headline act and hot favourite in the Ryanair Chase (4pm), is very much on the drift in the betting this morning and connections have expressed doubts about him running this afternoon owing to the drying ground. AP McCoy, who works for owner JP McManus told TalkSport this morning: “I don’t know if Fact To File is definitely running,” while McManus’s racing manager Frank Berry added: “I’m very worried about the ground, it’s up in the air at the moment.” The horse’s trainer Willie Mullins also expressed his worries while talking to Racing TV presenter Nick Luck. “He’s a good mover but the ground is lively,” said the concerned handler.
BHA investigation into alleged abuse ongoing
Greg Wood
The stewards’ inquiry into alleged racist abuse by leading jockey Nico de Boinville, which was lodged by an Irish amateur, Declan Queally, after Wednesday’s opening race at the Cheltenham festival will not conclude until after the meeting’s final day on Friday, the British Horseracing Authority said on Thursday.
The inquiry was opened on Wednesday after Queally complained that he had been subjected to verbal abuse, some of it racist in nature, by De Boinville as a big field jostled for starting positions before the two-mile, five-furlong Turners Novice Hurdle.
Some of the verbal exchange between the two riders could be seen on ITV Racing’s live coverage. Queally subsequently told Matt Chapman, an ITV Racing reporter, as he returned to weigh in that “being abused by an English rider, Nico de Boinville, is not very nice. I’m an amateur, I’m coming over here riding in front of my kids and that, horrific.”
An initial update on the progress of the stewards’ inquiry stated that after hearing initial statements from Queally and De Boinville, it had been adjourned “to obtain further evidence”.
A BHA spokesman said on Thursday that “the process of gathering evidence will continue over the course of the coming days and will involve speaking to jockeys and reviewing broadcast footage. This process will take some time and will therefore not be concluded during the Festival.”
Preamble
Greg Wood
Good morning from Cheltenham on day three of the 2026 Cheltenham festival, and on a day when there will be a laser-sharp focus on: a) the starts; and b) Nico de Boinville, following the allegations of racial abuse levelled against Nicky Henderson’s stable jockey by the Irish amateur, Declan Queally, after a chaotic start to the Turners Novice Hurdle, the opening race on Wednesday.
The stewards’ inquiry into the incident is expected to resume at the course this morning and there could presumably be a result well before De Boinville heads out for the first of his two rides on the card: Impose Toi in the Stayers’ Hurdle at 3.20pm (all times GMT), and the ever-popular Jonbon in the Ryanair Chase at 4pm.
Before we get that far, though, there are a couple of big fields that need to be sent on their way, with a maximum line-up of 22 in the Mares’ Novice Hurdle at 1.20pm and 19 going to post for the Jack Richards Novice Handicap Chase at 2pm.
The starts for both the Turners Novice Hurdle and the BetMGM Cup yesterday, with maximum fields of two-and-a-half mile hurdlers jostling for position, were far from satisfactory, and the fall-out included a suggestion by Max McNeill, the co-owner of the beaten favourite in the opener, No Drama This End, that “the Irish jockeys know what they are doing and they are going to make it as difficult for the class horses in the race as possible”.
There are two very obvious “class horses” in the opener today and both, as it happens, are trained in Ireland: Bambino Fever, last year’s Champion Bumper winner from the Willie Mullins stable, and Gordon Elliott’s Oldschool Outlaw. All eyes will be on them as they circle at the start as Paul Townend and Mark Walsh, their riders, try to get a decent racing position on mares that like to race up with the pace.
Elsewhere on today’s card, there are three Grade One events, although the Mares’ Hurdle is short on quality after Lossiemouth’s diversion to the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday and Wodhooh will be very hard to beat. Fact To File, the Irish Gold Cup winner, will also be short in the Ryanair Chase, but there is much more depth to the competition in the Stayers’ Hurdle, where seasoned campaigners including Teahupoo and Bob Olinger will take on several very promising up-and-comers including Ma Shantou and Dan Skelton’s Kabral Du Mathan.
You can, as ever, keep on top of all the news, views, results, betting moves and more here on the blog, from the first race at 1.20pm to the finale, the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir for amateur riders, at 5.20pm (and, if it’s anything like Wednesday, for several hours afterwards, too.
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