What we learned from day three to help for the rest of the Cheltenham Festival

You can't go far wrong with Gigginstown horses

What a St Patrick's Thursday it was for Michael O'Leary's Gigginstown House Stud, which after numerous near misses finally secured the race sponsored by the owner's airline, the Ryanair Chase, when Balko Des Flos beat odds-on favourite Un De Sceaux.

The team swept the first three races on the card and with seven runners on Friday the winning run may not be over yet.

Among the best hope could be Farclas in the JCB Triumph Hurdle while Road To Respect will carry a lot of support into the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup having beaten Balko Des Flos when winning the Christmas Chase at Leopardstown in December.

It is nip and tuck for trainers' title

The British waved the white flag in the Betbright Cup after Ireland took six of the seven races on Thursday to take the score to 15-6 but the contest between Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott looks like going down to the wire again.

Mullins, whose 61st win in the Trull House Stud Mares' Novices' Hurdle made him the festival's winningmost trainer and put him 7-6 up on his rival, has 20 runners and Elliott 11. With four second-placed finishers to Elliott's one Mullins will start the day as favourite.

Jockeys race could be more open

Davy Russell goes into the final day in front after a Thursday treble but with four wins he is only one ahead of Jack Kennedy.

The race may not be a private battle, either, with Paul Townend coming into the reckoning on Thursday after stepping in for the unfortunate injury suffered by Ruby Walsh to ride a double as the de facto Mullins number one.

Barry Geraghty, currently on one winner, may not be quite out of contention either if he gets on the board early on Friday with Apple's Shakira. JP McManus' retained rider has five mounts while Russell only has three.

Has Henderson sealed the 2017/18 jumps trainers' championship?

It was looking like there could be a contest leading up to the meeting when Paul Nicholls edged in front but the reigning champion has forged more than £700,000 clear, surely too much for Nicholls to claw back.

So far it has been a winless fixture for Nicholls, Nigel Twiston-Davies, Dan Skelton and Colin Tizzard while Willie Mullins has risen to sixth in the table and can go past £1 million with another successful day.

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