Cheltenham Festival 2024 LIVE: Day 3 latest including results, updates and reports as trainer Willie Mullins eyes more glory as yesterday he became the first trainer to reach 100 wins

In other disappointing news, leading contender for the Mares novice hurdles race, Dysart Enos, has been eliminated after going lame, with trainer Fergal O’Brien calling her non-entry “a big loss”.

It’s nothing serious, it’s just a horrendous moment. If it had happened sooner, we could have done something about it, but that’s where we are.

We’ll catch her well before making any plans.

With less than two hours until we get underway in Cheltenham, an overview of what awaits us.

1:30 p.m. – Turners Rookie Chase

14:10 – Pertemps Handicap Obstacle

3:30 p.m. – Paddy Power Stayers Obstacle

16:10 – Festival Plate Handicap

16:50 – Mares Rookie Obstacles

5:30 p.m. – Kim Muir Handicapped Pursuit

It doesn’t come without its warnings, and some question the horse’s terrible preparation for this year’s race.

Luke Harvey explains it below on ITV Racing.

It was a day of brilliant Irish success when Willie Mullins scored his 100th winner at Cheltenham, but scrutiny of Britain’s collapse in recent years seems more urgent than ever.

Mail Sport columnist Ed Chamberlin looks at another difficult day at home below.

After opting not to enter Sonigino in yesterday’s Coral Cup, Sir Alex Ferguson arrived at Cheltenham for his first day of racing, with four attractive prospects in today’s action.

The most notable is Ryanair Chase contender Protektorat, mentioned by Matt Chapman in our Paddy Power cheat sheet, but the legendary Manchester United trainer also has three horses with Paul Nicholls: Monmiral in the Handicap Hurdle, Hitman also in the Ryanair Chase and Il Ridoto on the TrustATrader board.

It’s surely worth something each way to any Red Devils fan.

After firing up the afterburners to take the Champion Chase on a classy course, Captain Guinness had time to pose for a photo after running his race.

Trainer Henry de Bromhead is having an impressive festival so far, and Envoi Allen could put the icing on the cake this afternoon.

Paddy Power has put together a host of top tipsters to guide you through the action on day three, including whether Facile Vega will do well in the Turners Novices’ Chase and whether you can bet against last year’s third-placed Teahupoo in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.

Last year’s Ryanair Chase winner Envoi Allen returns to the Festival, with Rachael Blackmore again at the helm.

The former Gold Cup winner has had an exciting Cheltenham so far, taking the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle to open the week on day one, and yesterday’s Champion Chase aboard Captain Guinness. Can he achieve a Grade One hat-trick in three days?

That’s right: rain clouds on the horizon, in keeping with the soggy week the Festival has been enduring.

We might see an update for the day in the middle of the afternoon.

In case you missed it… It may not have happened as the Irish trainer envisioned, after hot favorite El Fabiolo stuttered in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, but day two ended with the astonishing achievement of Willie Mullins.

The horse was Jasmin De Vaux, the son of Mullins jockey Patrick, and Dominic King has the full report on an emotional day below.

Race director Jon Pullin says it has (finally) been dry overnight, and yesterday’s Soft, Heavy in some places has been upgraded to Soft.

We are also back to our regular programming after losing the Cross Country Chase yesterday.

The coach has endured an abysmal festival so far, and there are no signs of improvement, with the yard declaring even more non-runners.

After ruling out Shishkin from tomorrow’s Cheltenham Gold Cup and Jonbon from yesterday’s Champion Chase, today’s casualties are Triumph Hurdle favorite Sir Gino and Shanagh Bob, who was due to run in the Albert Bartlett.

First up is today’s version of Cheltenham Breakfast, a recap of Wednesday’s action on and off the pitch, presented by Mail Sport’s Dominic King.

You can catch up on today’s installment of the daily newsletter below.

Hello and welcome to Mail Sport’s live coverage of the third day of this year’s Cheltenham Festival, dedicated to this Sunday’s St Patrick’s Day.

But every day this week could well have been classed as a tribute to the Emerald Isle, such is the greenwashing Irish trainers have been achieving, completely outperforming their British rivals.

Thursday will be one to remember, with not one but two feature races this afternoon – the Ryanair Chase at 2.50pm and the Stayers’ Hurdle shortly after at 3.30pm.

So buckle up and enjoy as we bring you all the news, preparations and more ahead of each race from the start at 1:30 p.m.