Cheltenham Festival 2025: three things we will learn on Thursday

Can Caldwell Potter justify a lofty price tag for Paul Nicholls?

REDIRECTED: Galileo Dame had been bound for the Triumph Hurdle throughout the winter but will now race in the Mares Novices' Hurdle on Thursday, what looks like a far more winnable race. Pic: Healy Racing

Dame, set and match?

The tenth running of the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle is staged today, one of the newer additions to Festival week which was inserted into the programme as an inconsequential ‘filler’ to justify a four-day meeting. Or so it seemed until Tuesday when last year’s winner Golden Ace won the Champion Hurdle and the runner-up in 2024, Brighterdaysahead, started second favourite.