Ibis Du Rheu battled on bravely to outpoint Flying Angel in a close finish to the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Home Of The Brave has been stripped of his victory in the Minstrel Stakes at the Curragh in July after testing positive for a prohibited substance.

Stephen Clements, a Cheltenham festival-winning jockey, enjoyed his biggest success in this country when driving Tony Martin’s Edeymi to victory in the Connacht Hotel Handicap at the first stage of Galway last night.

Diplomat got followers of Dermot Weld and Ruby Walsh off to the perfect start at Galway as the odds-on favourite recorded a comfortable success in the galwaybayhotel.com Novice Hurdle, the opening event of the 2013 festival.