Teahupoo bids to make it third time lucky in Stayers' cracker on a Cheltenham card bursting with festival heroes

Nowhere is winning more wonderful than Cheltenham. Inevitably, it is also the place where defeat hurts most, particularly when the same old story is repeated year after year. For the horse who dominates the Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle market, this could be the day when his own Cheltenham story takes a welcome twist.

For some jumps legends there was never a happy ending. The enigmatic Birds Nest was a star who shone bright for years but second and third was the best he could manage in six Champion Hurdles. Wayward Lad was a much-loved triple King George hero yet he became almost as famous for his Cheltenham hoodoo. The Yorkshire warrior was foiled at six festivals and in five consecutive Gold Cups, coming closest to glory when collared at the death by Dawn Run in 1986. More recently, Melon endured a six-year festival drought yet remarkably finished second in four consecutive years, twice in the Champion Hurdle.

For others, persistence can be rewarded. It was at the fourth attempt that Sea Pigeon finally won the Champion Hurdle, while The Fellow's 1994 Gold Cup triumph also came on his fourth mission and following two short-head seconds. Teahupoo tackles the Stayers' on just his third Cheltenham visit and on this occasion he very much looks the one to beat. That, however, was equally true 12 months ago.

After trailing in 33 lengths behind Honeysuckle in the 2022 Champion Hurdle, Teahupoo was upped in trip for the long-distance championship and sent off at 9-4. His claims looked strong before the race and through it, but after a penultimate-flight blunder, Davy Russell's mount was switched on the run to the final hurdle, carried left soon after it and then hampered when being galvanised for one last bid. He was third past the post and then promoted to second, with many describing him as unlucky. Perhaps he was. Perhaps he wasn't.

A harsh critic might argue Teahupoo had ample opportunity to overcome any misfortune, but his chances this time look undeniably strong based on his second Hatton's Grace Hurdle success. That said, the seven-year-old is being asked to win a prize that looks stronger than the one in which he came up short. His stable companion, the Gordon Elliott-trained Sire Du Berlais – a three-time festival victor – is back again, as is last season's disqualified second Dashel Drasher. Crucially though, there are some new kids on this block, namely Long Walk Hurdle winner Crambo, Sir Gerhard and 2022 Grand National winner Noble Yeats, who struck over the course and distance on Trials day. Add to the mix Flooring Porter and Paisley Park – the winners of three Stayers' Hurdles between them – and the afternoon's centrepiece looks one to relish.

The action on either side of the Stayers' is no less tasty, with Envoi Allen seeking to take his festival haul to four with a second victory in the Ryanair Chase. With ground conditions far from ideal for longtime ante-post favourite Banbridge, Envoi Allen is very much the one to beat, although the opposition is plentiful and features 2023 Turners Novices' Chase winner Stage Star, Cotswold Chase ace Capodanno and a trio of former Gold Cup runners in Protektorat, Ahoy Senor and Conflated. None of them would count as a surprise winner. Arguably less obvious is the 151-rated Fil Dor. The first prize for this year's Ryanair is £218,397 yet Teahupoo's owner Brian Acheson forked out €620,000 to buy him at the Caldwell dispersal sale. Could that be a tip in itself?

Envoi Allen bids for back-to-back wins in the Ryanair ChaseCredit: Edward Whitaker

As well as fielding Teahupoo, Conflated and Fil Dor, Elliott runs the much-vaunted Brighterdaysahead in the Ryanair-backed Dawn Run Novices' Hurdle. Elliott, who knows a good horse when he sees one, has been unashamedly bullish in his opinion of a mare who is charged with winning back her owner's sponsorship money. To do so she will need to thwart two equally promising opponents in the Willie Mullins-trained Jade De Grugy and Dysart Enos, who could give Fergal O'Brien a first festival winner, assuming Crambo has not done that 80 minutes earlier.

On paper this looks the quietest of the four days for the sport's training colossus, but his squad is still fearsome, as can be seen from the fact Facile Vega, the apple of Mullins' eye, lines up in the Turners. Ginny's Destiny, Grey Dawning and Iroko give Britain three major chances of a Grade 1 win. That is quite a thing to say, given Britain could not even manage three runners in two of Wednesday's championship races.

With three red-hot handicaps smattered through the card and double-figure fields from start to finish, the Cheltenham Festival's third day is not to be missed. For Teahupoo, it also provides the chance to right a perceived wrong. If the big-race favourite does make it third time lucky, plenty of punters will be celebrating.

Read more pieces from Lee Mottershead here:

Harry Cobden: ‘Some jockeys go home and play on the Playstation - I go home and play on the farm’ 

Revealed: the racehorse owner fronting an illegal bookmaker with more than 1,000 customers

How black market bookies have spread through racing - and even solicit business at Cheltenham 

‘Pathetic’ restrictions on punters are doing massive damage to racing - and the sport’s leaders are complicit 

'Please, please, carefully consider the damage you are going to do to the racing industry' - Middleham's plea to Rishi Sunak 

'I really do feel a right dick - I can't stand vanity and now people are going to think Elsie spends all day watching Desert Orchid'

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