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St Patricks Thursday 2026
The weather did little to dampen the spirits of racegoers who came ready to party in true St Patrick’s style. The Tumbling Paddies brought the craic to the Guinness Village, where Peter Crouch again picked up the tab for 1,000 pints of the black stuff. On the track, there’s still little to split Britain and Ireland in the Prestbury Cup, with the Irish edging ahead 11-10 heading into Gold Cup Day. Here’s how St Patrick’s Thursday unfolded...
A LOCAL AFFAIR
Day three of the festival may be St Patrick’s Thursday, but it started with two locally trained winners. Meetmebythesea (9-1) came home the impressive four and three-quarter length winner of the Grade Two Jack Richards Novices’ Handicap Chase, shortly after White Noise sprang a 40-1 surprise in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle.
Trained close to Cheltenham at Andoversford by Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls, the six-year-old prevailed by a length and a quarter from Oldschool Outlaw, and secured a first Festival winner, at the age of 31, for jockey Tom Bellamy who said:
“I’ve worked my whole life for this day. I’m genuinely speechless, I cannot believe it. A great performance from a really likeable filly. I’m delighted for the team at home, we’ve had a season. This tops my whole career, not just this season.
“I’m nearly crying here. I bunked off school as a kid to come and watch the Cheltenham Festival, and I can’t believe I’m walking around at the top here after winning.”
TWO FOR WODHOOH
Having brought The Festival to a close last year when successful in the concluding Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle, Wodhooh was back in the winner’s enclosure today as she made the successful step up to Grade One company with victory in the Close Brothers’ Mares’ Hurdle.
The 5-6 Favourite held off the challenge of Jade De Grugy to score by a length, getting a first winner of the week on the board for trainer Gordon Elliot who said:
“I don’t think I was ever quite in the wilderness - it’s hard to get winners here and we just weren’t bouncing, but we’re on the board now. The race worked out great; Jack gave her a peach [of a ride]. She idled a bit halfway up the straight but picked up again - she’s something else. It’s hard to know just how good she is, because to be fair to her she doesn’t do anything fancy at home, but we’re lucky to have her.”
FIFTH TIME LUCKY FOR HOME BY THE LEE
Home By The Lee (33-1) became the joint-oldest winner of the Grade One Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle, winning the contest at his fifth attempt.
The 11-year-old was always prominent and kept finding up the hill to score by a length and a quarter from Ballyburn,
Successful trainer Joseph O’Brien said: “We were just hoping for a good run. It was a fantastic ride by JJ and I’m so delighted for Sean O’Driscoll and his family as they bred him and he's an 11-year-old and they’ve been with him all the way. He’s as tough as nails. It was a huge team effort by everyone at home.”
HEART WOOD GOES ONE BETTER
The late withdrawal of last year’s winner and hot favourite Fact To File from today’s Grade One Ryanair Chase, left the door open for the 2025 runner-up Heart Wood (9-2) to go one better.
Partnered by Darragh O’Keeffe, the eight-year-old saw off the challenge of the gallant Jonbon to win by 10 lengths.
Winning trainer Henry de Bromhead said: “It was brilliant, Darragh was brilliant on him. He jumped amazing, it’s just lovely to get it. Delighted. He ran a blinder last year and we probably rode him to sort of be placed last year, whereas this year we said that we would go out and give it a real go. They went some gallop, to my eye. He just winged fences. Darragh was brilliant on him. It was just one of those dream runs.”
Nothing feels like the tension in the air as the iconic Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup race draws near—a contest that has crowned the greatest champions in jump racing history.
