SportsCasinoLive Casino

Cheltenham Festival: Stayers' Hurdle Betting Tips

The Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival is a thorough test of stamina – and it’s a wide-open race this year.

It’s one of those contests that horses turn up time and time again for, with the likes of Baracouda, Inglis Drever, Big Buck’s and Flooring Porter all having won this contest on more than one occasion since the turn of the century.

A field of 14 will go to post for Thursday’s 16:00 race. Here are three to keep in mind, including one at a big price.

Visit the BetMGM 2025 Cheltenham Festival Hub for the latest odds, offers, tips & more

NAP: Lucky Place

The Stayers’ Hurdle is usually ripe for an improver and there aren’t many more unexposed sorts in the field than Nicky Henderson’s Lucky Place.

He only won one of his five starts in his novice campaign last season but he showed plenty of promise in finishing second to Golden Ace and Gidleigh Park before being no stronger than at the line when taking fourth in the Coral Cup at the festival when Henderson’s yard was under a cloud.

His three-quarter-length defeat to Golden Ace, who was in receipt of 14lbs, reads even better now considering she’s won the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle and Champion Hurdle since.

The six-year-old returned from eight months off to win the Ascot Hurdle in November, showing career-best form despite officially being rated the lowest of the five-runner field and the ground being very quick.

Lucky Place then showed he may be suitable for staying trips when proving stronger than subsequent Cleeve Hurdle winner Gowel Road on the run to the line in the Relkeel on this course when last seen in January.

Upped to three miles for the first time, he can continue on his upward trajectory and land a first Stayers’ Hurdle for Henderson since Bacchanal in 2000.

NB: The Wallpark

JP McManus, who is the joint winningmost owner in the Stayers’ Hurdle with four victories, won Tuesday’s Turners Novices’ Hurdle with a horse he purchased in the last four months and could repeat the feat on Thursday with The Wallpark.

He’d shown good yet not spectacular ability when starting out over hurdles, but he took his form to a whole new level in the summer, racking up four wins on the bounce from July to October.

That latest victory on the Old Course here got a boost when runner-up Gowel Road chased home Lucky Place in Relkeel and then landed the Cleeve Hurdle.

He dipped his toe into top-level company at Ascot in December when last seen and that form is worth more than the margin of defeat suggests, as the race was slowly run and he was given plenty to do as the field turned for home.

It’s to his credit that he stayed on as strongly as he did and, with a stronger pace almost certain here, he could upstage stablemate Teahupoo.

Browse all our Cheltenham Festival markets here

Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation

We're sorry!

Unfortunately, BetMGM isn't available in your country.