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Cheltenham Festival: Stayers' Hurdle Betting Tips

One of the most famous races at the Cheltenham Festival, the Stayers' Hurdle has been won by some great horses over the years, including four-time winner Big Bucks.

One of three Grade 1 races on Day Three, it's going to be a cracking race and isn't to be missed.

The Stayers' Hurdle is run over three miles and, as it's on the new course, stamina really is the name of the game.

Veterans tend to struggle as a rule, with eight of the last 10 winners being six, seven or eight, but last year's winner, 10-year-old Bob Olinger, was the exception to that rule.

We've got a field of 11 for the 2026 renewal and there are two previous winners of the race amongst them.

Our expert has two selections to follow and they include a progressive Emma Lavelle runner.

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Newcomer to stake a claim?

There's a good mix of established stayers and progressive newcomers to the graded programme, making for a truly fascinating race.

Bob Olinger (13/2) came out on top last year โ€“ but he's now 11 and it would require a monster performance to defend his crown, although he does love the track.

Teahupoo (3/1) won the race two years ago and is well placed to wrestle back his crown. Honesty Policy (6/1) was a smart novice last spring and has had only one run so far this season.

He should improve plenty for that, although he absolutely needs to.

Kabral Du Mathan (3/1) represents the Dan Skelton yard and he has improved with every run this season. Stamina isn't guaranteed in his case and there's a chance he won't settle.

Ballyburn (9/1) is more than capable of running a big race if at his best but we haven't seen that for two years.

Ma Shantou (11/2) and Impose Toi (10/1) have graduated from handicaps to become serious graded horses this term and they need to be considered.

Home By The Lee (33/1) has run in this a couple of times before and Doddiethegreat (50/1) won the Pertemps Final at this meeting last season.

Selection: Ma Shantou @ 11/2

Paisley Park won this race for Emma Lavelle in 2019 and she runs the very progressive stayer Ma Shantou here. He started off in handicaps this season but ran in the Grade 2 Cleeve Hurdle last time out and produced an excellent performance to score by seven lengths.

The staying division hasn't had a standout champion since the days of Big Bucks and you probably don't need to be a true top-notcher to win it these days.

Ma Shantou outstayed Nicky Henderson's Impose Toi on heavy ground but he proved himself just as capable on better ground earlier on in the season.

More will be needed at Grade 1 level, but he continues to improve and could be worth siding with while he's on an upward trajectory.

Next Best: Teahupoo @ 11/4

Recent history tells us that horses don't tend to regain the Stayers' Hurdle crown but if any horse is going to do it, Teahupoo can.

Gordon Elliott's nine-year-old has been the ante-post favourite for this race all season and for good reason.

He kicked the campaign off with a brave victory over Ballyburn in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle, which he has now won three times, and then went on to contest the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown. The son of Masked Marvel beat Bob Olinger and Ballyburn that day and has every chance to confirm the form.

This horse won the 2024 Stayers' Hurdle but couldn't get the better of Bob Olinger last year. That rival is getting on a bit and may struggle to produce a similar performance.

Teahupoo is the right favourite on the balance of form and is unlikely to be far away.

Odds correct at time of publication but subject to change

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