The Kim Muir Challenge Cup Handicap Steeple Chase might not have the snappiest of names at the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, but this race – which was inaugurated back in 1946 – is a fitting way to bring proceedings to a close on day three of this fine meeting. Given it will be St Patrick’s Thursday (and hence the Guinness will be flowing at a fair old pace) a few of the punters at the course might not be taking much notice by the time this race goes off, but they will be missing out as it is invariably an exciting and engrossing spectacle.
The final race on Day Three of the 2023 Cheltenham Festival is the Kim Muir Challenge Cup, with this race having been in operation since 1946. This is a long distance race of three miles and two furlongs, so we need to be looking for horses that are going to have lots of staying power when it comes to tackling this course.
As far as the Cheltenham betting odds are concerned, Cat Tiger is among the Cheltenham betting favourites to win the Kim Muir. The eight-year-old ran a promising race in a handicap chase at Doncaster over Christmas, with the horse looking solid over three miles and it was only a narrow defeat against Kalooki.
This marked a return to form after being sent off as the 3/1 favourite to win the Betway Grand Sefton Handicap Chase back in April before finishing well down the order, with lots of other lively runners and this includes Plan Of Attack who fell when travelling sweetly in the 2021 Kim Muir and could go well again.
The horse recently finished third in the Glenfarclas Crystal Cup Cross Country Handicap Chase in December and could be one for the Cheltenham 2023 shortlist, while Secret Reprieve scored a couple of winter wins at Chepstow last season and the Evan Williams-trained runner is among the Cheltenham favourites for the Kim Muir.
The seven-year-old landed the spoils in the Coral Welsh Grand National Trial Handicap Chase before going on to win the actual 2020 Welsh National, so stamina shouldn’t be a problem on an undulating track and he recently returned to the track after a long absence.