On day three of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival, Jade De Grugy stands out as the NAP Of The Day. Previously finishing second to Lossiemouth and demonstrating strong performances at Punchestown and Thurles, she comes highly rated and poised for success in the Mares' Hurdle. Despite some competition from Wodhooh and the underperformance from Gordon Elliott’s stable, Jade De Grugy seems to be closing the gap at the top of the betting market. Bettors are optimistic about her chances in today's lineup.
Racing Insider's NAP Of The Day on day three of the Cheltenham Festival
Jade De Grugy is our best bet of the day in the Mares' Hurdle
Here's how you can back our NAP of the day and get the top price
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Here's is our NAP Of The Day on day three of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham Day 3 NAP Of The Day - Jade De Grugy (Mares' Hurdle)
Lossiemouth was my winning NAP on day one when she landed the Champion Hurdle. When I covered the Mares' Hurdle at the ante-post stage, Lossiemouth was the favourite. However, I fancied that she was Champion Hurdle-bound, and put up JADE DE GRUGY (5/2) at 8/1 in the Non-Runner No Bet market.
Paul Townend's mount finished second to Lossiemouth in this race last year, before going on to slam both Gala Marceau and Brighterdaysahead in the equivalent race at Punchestown. Mullins' mare didn't jump well on her chasing debut, but went close behind a classy rival in The Big Westerner at Limerick over Christmas, and was last seen claiming an emphatic victory at Grade Two level at Thurles.
Jade De Grugy is only rated only four pounds inferior to Wodhooh, and has proven herself at Grade One level. Gordon Elliott's horses have been running poorly this week, which has caused Wodhooh and Jade De Grugy to close in on each-other at the head of the market.
I like Carrigmoornaspruce in the opening Mares' Novices' Hurdle, and Kim Roque looks to have a big chance in the Kim Muir. Yet, out of all of my Cheltenham Festival day three selections, Jade De Grugy definitely has the best chance of winning, and I wouldn't mind backing her again at 5/2.
Could Jade De Grugy revert back to hurdles at Cheltenham? (Getty)
Day 3 NAP FAQs
When is day three of the Cheltenham Festival?
The third day of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival is known as St Patrick's Day, and takes place on Thursday 12th March.
What does NAP Of The Day mean?
A NAP is a tipster’s strongest selection of the day — the horse they believe has the best chance of winning among all their tips. The term NAP comes from the card game Napoleon, where a player declaring “nap” is making the highest and most confident bid. In racing journalism, the same idea was adopted to signal a tipster’s most confident pick.
When is the 2026 Mares' Hurdle?
The Mares' Hurdle has been moved to day three of the Cheltenham Festival for the 2026 meeting. This Grade One will now take place at 2:40pm on March 12th.
