5:30 – Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Chase
1 Cause Of Causes 9/2
2 A Good Skin 14/1
3 Silvergrove 16/1
4 Knock House 16/1
There’s definitely something in St. Patrick’s Day. Out of the seven races on Day Three of Cheltenham, six of them were won by Irish jockeys. The final one to come in was the 9/2 Cause of Causes in the 5.30. What a day!
4.50 Trull House Stud Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle (2m, Grade 2)
1 Limini (8-11F)
2 Dusky Legend (50-1)
3 Bloody Mary (7-1)
The odds were drifting for Limini who started the day at around 1/2 but the favouritism showed in the end as Ruby Walsh pranced home to continue the shocking day for the bookmakers. She blew away all-comers and kept Walsh/Mullins momentum going.
4.10 – Brown Advisory & Merriebelle Stable Plate (2m4f, Grade 3)
1 Empire of Dirt (16/1)
2 Tango de Juilley (33-1)
3 Kings Palace (11-1)
4 Full Shift (7-1)
In a pick’ em style race, Bryan Cooper had to ask a lot of Empire of Dirt but the nine-year-old came good, finding an extra gear and seeing off all competition.
3:30 – Ryanair World Hurdle (3m, Grade 1)
1 Thistlecrack EvensF
2 Alpha Des Obeaux 8/1
3 Bobs Worth 33/1
A stunning and popular win as the bookies take a battering for the second race running. Tom Scudamore rode the perfect race and admitted afterwards that he didn’t expect it to be so easy. Alpha Des Obeaux finished second and 2013 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth in third.
2:50 – Ryanair Chase (2m5f, Grade 1)
1 Vautour EvensF
2 Valseur Lido 11/1
3 Road To Riches 7/1
Vautour justified the hype with a stunning performance to win the Ryanair Chase. The Willie Mullins trained mount drifted in the betting in the final moments before the race but punters need not have feared. Despite some slightly iffy jumping Vautour won with relative easy leaving the only question to be asked being whether he should have run in the Gold Cup.
The sixth win at this Cheltenham for Willie Mullins. The 51st win at the festival for Ruby Walsh. The third Irish-trained win of the day.
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) March 17, 2016
2.10pm – Pertemps Network Final (3m, Class 1)
1 Mall Dini 14/1
2 Arpege D’Alene 14/1
3 If In Doubt 10/1
4 Taglietelle 14/1
Davy Russell put the disappointment of the opening race behind him to claim victory on a horse owned by Philip Reynolds, eldest son of former Taoiseach Albert. Favourite Leave at Dawn failed to mount a challenge under Barry Geraghty.
1.30pm – JLT Novices’ Chase (2m4f, Class 1)
1 Black Hercules 4/1C
2 Bristol De Mai 4/1C
3 L’ami Serge 8/1
NR: King’s Odyssey
Ruby Walsh made history with his 50th winner at Cheltenham in a hugely dramatic opener on St Patrick’s Day at Cheltenham. Zabana unseated Davy Russell at the start and Outlander and Garde La Victoire fell at the fourth from last. That left a three-way battle between Black Hercules, Bristo De Mai and L’Ami Serge as they came up the hill. In the end, as so often is the case, there was no stopping the Walsh-Willie Mullins combo.
