Festival Fireworks as Champions Rise and Favourites Falter

The first two days of the Cheltenham Festival have already produced the sort of drama and high-class performances that define the meeting each year. Packed grandstands, the unmistakable Cheltenham roar and a series of fascinating Grade 1 contests have set the tone for what is shaping up to be another memorable Festival.

Champion Day sets the stage

Tuesday’s Champion Day delivered the usual blend of star power and compelling storylines, headlined by the Unibet Champion Hurdle. With several of the division’s headline names absent, the race took on a slightly unusual look beforehand, but Lossiemouth left no room for doubt with a dominant performance for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend. Travelling strongly throughout, she quickened decisively at the top of the hill and powered clear to land hurdling’s biggest prize in great style.

However, to kick the week off, it was the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, and the opening roar of the Festival went to the British, and it was a memorable 1-2-3-4 for the home team, with Nicky Henderson's Old Park Star landing the opening blow. Next up was the Arkle Challenge Trophy, which looked on paper to be a match between Lulamba and Kopek Des Border, yet nobody told Kargese the script, as she outjumped her two market rivals and recorded the first win of the Festival for Ireland.

Away from the Grade 1s, owner JP McManus recorded two handicap successes with Saratoga and Johnnywho, while the closing two handicaps of the day went to the British - Dan Skelton prevailing with Madara, and Holloway Queen bookending the day for Nicky Henderson.

Shock results headline Day Two

If the opening day largely went according to expectations, Wednesday’s action turned the script on its head. Remarkably, no favourites managed to land any of the four Grade 1 contests, producing one of the more unpredictable afternoons in recent Festival memory.

The Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle provided the first surprise of the day when No Drama This End was unable to justify favouritism, having never travelled and was pulled up. That left the door open for King Rasko Grey and Paul Townend to make all and hold off the rest of the field to win by 2.5 lengths for the maestro Willie Mullins.

Attention then turned to the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, where it was almost a repeat story, with the well-fancied favourite, Romeo Coolio, being pulled up and Willie Mullins winning again with an 11/1 chance that led the entire race. Kitzbuhel provided Harry Cobden with a first Festival winner of the year.

The biggest shock of the afternoon, however, came in the Queen Mother Champion Chase. All eyes were on Majborough, who had been heavily backed throughout the week, but the race unfolded very differently as the favourite disappointed with his jumping once again. Luckily for Willie Mullins, he had a deputy who was more than up to the task, as Il Etait Temps proved a very decisive winner in the end.

The Grade 1 drama continued in the Champion Bumper, where another Gordon Elliott-trained favourite was unable to emerge victorious, and the spoils went to Noel Meade and Irish Champion Flat Jockey Colin Keane aboard The Mourne Rambler.

Elsewhere, Martador sprung a huge surprise for Venetia Williams to return a 66/1 winner in the Grand Annual. Final Orders was successful in the Cross Country, while Jingko Blue was the only winning favourite in the recently renamed BetMGM Cup.