RACING:After yesterday's unprecedented six winners for the Irish, BRIAN O'CONNORfancies Loosen My Load to get them off to the perfect start on day three

LOOSEN MY LOAD could lighten a lot of bookmaker’s satchels at Cheltenham and provide Irish punters with a perfect start to day three of the festival in the opener.

The Jewson Novices Chase might be a familiar name but it is a new Grade Two race introduced to cater for horses better suited to the intermediate distance between the Arkle and the RSA.

The conditions could have been copyrighted for a number of these runners including the main Irish hopes.

They include Noble Prince, who represents the in-form Paul Nolan, and Loosen My Load whose team of Henry De Bromhead and Andrew Lynch have already struck with a vengeance at this week’s festival.

Both horses have form behind Realt Dubh this season and Noble Prince ran Tuesday’s Arkle third to a nose at Leopardstown in January. In contrast Loosen My Load was beaten much further by the same horse at Christmas but critically he now faces a much better racing surface.

Good enough over hurdles to win a Grade Two at this course in 2009, Loosen My Load will relish good ground and it is always encouraging to see a yard in form like De Bromhead’s.

“He is in great form and has travelled over well. Everything’s good and I’m looking forward to running him. We think the two and a half suits him better so that’s why we’ve chosen this race,” De Bromhead said yesterday.

The main home hope is set to be the course winner Wishfull Thinking whose stable companion, Captain Chris, landed Tuesday’s Arkle. Whether he will relish the going as much as Loosen My Load, though, is debatable.

There will also be plenty of Irish hopes in the Pertemps Final and most of them are likely to centre on the Willie Mullins-trained Sivota. A winner on good ground at Punchestown last April, the gelding was running on noticeably well when qualifying for this race at Leopardstown in January.

Barafundle and Chartreux are a pair of British hopes that have clear chances on some of their form but Sivota could be ahead of the handicapper in a race like this. Ted Walsh’s Heavenly Blues, runner-up to Call The Police last time, looks another capable of running a big race.

Ruby Walsh will be hoping for a Grade One double today with Poquelin back at his favourite course and distance for the Ryanair Chase.

Just a nose separated Polquelin and J’y Vole in this race last year as they chased home Alberta’s Run after a lot of scrimmaging before the turn-in. All three are back for another crack at the race now but it could be that a new ingredient in Kalahari King trumps the lot of them.

Ferdy Murphy’s horse is tackling the furthest distance he has ever faced but after finishing second, third and fourth at the last three festivals, his number may finally come up.

Murphy has already hit the bullseye at the festival and Kalahari King was badly hampered at the ninth fence on his last start at Ascot. However, he has always been a spring horse and with the stable coming into form Graham Lee’s mount can make his presence felt.

Junior has looked a reformed character since last summer when he managed to win at Royal Ascot. Adding a Cheltenham Festival success to that would be a significant achievement for David Pipe’s runner but he looks to hold decent claims for the Kim Muir.

Placed behind Ashkazar over hurdles, and behind Midnight Chase over fences, this winter, Junior doesn’t look badly treated on his best form in this company and has a good rider in Jamie Codd on his back.

Beautiful Sound will be an Irish fancy in the Byrne Group Plate but Venetia Williams has an outstanding record in this race with wins in 2007 and 2009. Quartz de Thaix looks to have good claims for continuing that sequence.

Brian's Daily Picks

1.30pm Loosen My Load (Nap)

2.05pm Sivota

2.40pm Kalahari King

3.20pm Big Buck’s

4.00pm Quartz de Thaix

4.40pm Junior

Nap and Double

Loosen My Load Junior