As it happened: Cheltenham Festival Day One

All the updates you need from the first day of racing at the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. 
As it happened: Cheltenham Festival Day One

The Champion Hurdle groom Rachael Robbins and jockey Paul Townend celebrate after winning with State Man. Picture: ©INPHO/Tom Maher

Tue, 12 Mar, 2024 - 12:36
PJ Browne

17:43: The full result for the Maureen Mullins Challenge Cup:

1. Corbetts Cross 15/8 2f

2. Embassy Gardens 7/4f

17:41: The first day of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival finishes with another Irish winner. Ireland lead Great Britain 6-1 in the Prestbury Cup. 

17:39: Corbetts Cross wins the Maureen Mullins Challenge Cup for JP McManus. Emmet Mullins is the trainer and Derek O'Connor the jockey.

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17:31: They are off in the final race of the day.

17:16: Sadly, the Martin Brassil-trained Ose Partir sustained a fatal injury during the Boodles.

17:06: The final race of the day is the Maureen Mullins Challenge Cup. The race is named after Willie Mullins's mother who recently passed away aged 94. Embassy Gardens, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden by Maureen's grandson Patrick, is the 6/4 favourite. 

17:04: The full result for the Boodles:

1. Lark in the Mornin 9/1

2. Eagles Reign 80/1

3. Ndaawi 12/1

4. Harsh 40/1

17:02: That's a 5-1 lead for Ireland over Britain in the Prestbury Cup. 

16:56: 9/1 shot Lark in the Mornin wins the Boodles handsomely for Joseph O'Brien with JJ Slevin aboard. That's a fourth festival winner for O'Brien. 

16:50: They are off in the Boodles!

16:40: Up next is the Boodles. Jonjo O'Neill's Milan Tino is the 16/5 favourite. 

16:25: That was the last race of the day on Virgin Media One but we'll still have live coverage of the final two races of the day here.

16:18: The full result for the Mares' Hurdle:

1. Lossiemouth 8/13F 

2. Tellmesomethinggirl 22/1 

3. Hispanic Moon 40/1

16:15: The hugely impressive Lossiemouth wins the Mares' Hurdle for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend! It's another short-priced favourite winner for Mullins. He's now on 97 Cheltenham winners. 

16:10: They are off in the Mares' Hurdle.

16:04: Lots of Cork links with Champion Hurdle winner State Man including owner Marie Donnelly and jockey Paul Townend.

15:59: Up next is the Mares' Hurdle. Willie Mullins's Lossiemouth is the 8/13 favourite. There had been talking of switching Lossiemouth to the Champion Hurdle but owner Rich Ricci has stuck to 'plan A' for the horse.

Trainer Willie Mullins, right, and jockey Paul Townened celebrate with winning connections, including Cork owner Marie Donnelly, after victory in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham with State Man. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
Trainer Willie Mullins, right, and jockey Paul Townened celebrate with winning connections, including Cork owner Marie Donnelly, after victory in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham with State Man. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

15:37: "It's the one that was missing...To put my name on that list is special," Cork jockey Paul Townend says after winning the Champion Hurdle on State Man. That's Willie Mullins's fifth Champion Hurdle winner and his 96th overall at Cheltenham.

15:35: State Man wins the Champion Hurdle for Willie Mullins! Gordon Elliott's Irish Point finishes second and Nicky Henderson's Luccia is third.

Full result: 

1. State Man 2/5f 

2. Irish Point 9/2 

3. Luccia 33/1

15:30: They are off in the Champion Hurdle!

15:15: Fergal O'Brien's Highland Hunter suffered a fatal injury in the Ultima.

15:10: Up next is Tuesday's big race, the Champion Hurdle. Willie Mullins's State Man is the 2/5 favourite. 

"Whatever price Constitution Hill would have been, State Man should be even shorter in his absence," Ruby Walsh writes in his Irish Examiner column. "This is a one-horse race with multiple competitors, and only bad luck stands in the way of Paul Townend winning a Champion Hurdle and Willie Mullins collecting his fifth."

15:08: "When the rain came this morning I was panicking I'd got the wrong one," Ultima winning jockey David Bass tells ITV. "I knew I was on the right one. What a lovely horse. I was going around thinking there's a big race in Liverpool that I'd love to ride him in next year."

15:02: The full result of the Ultima:

1. Chianti Classico 6/1 

2. Twig 28/1 

3. Meetingofthewaters 6/1 

4. Famous Bridge 25/1

5. The Goffer 9/2

15:01: Ireland lead 2-1 in the Prestbury Cup after three races.

14:57: Chianti Classico, despite nearly blowing it at the last, wins the Ultima for Kim Bailey and David Bass. It's a fourth win at the festival for Bass. 

14:49: They are off in the Ultima!

14:33: Following the Arkle, the going at Cheltenham has been changed to heavy, soft in places.

14:29: "Just looking at [Gaelic Warrior] with the hood on him, I'm just thinking how much it would improve you Matt if we put a hood on you." A little dig at racing presenter Matt Chapman by Willie Mullins. 

14:27: Up next is the 21-runner Ultima Handicap. Gordon Elliott's The Goffer, ridden by Jack Kennedy, is the 9/2 favourite. 

14:19: The full result for the Arkle:

1. Gaelic Warrior 2/1f 

2. Found A Fifty 13/2 

3. Il Etait Temps 7/2

14:17: A rare victory for the Rebels over the Kingdom as Cork's Paul Townend, on board Gaelic Warrior, beats Kerryman Jack Kennedy on Found A Fifty down the home straight. Il Etait Temps did well to recover from a mistake to finish third.

14:15: Gaelic Warrior wins the Arkle! It's Cheltenham winner number 95 for Willie Mullins. 

14:13: Mistake by Il Etait Temps. Struggling now. 

JOY: Travelling head girl for Henry de Bromhead, Zoe Smalley, groom Jack Kelly and Robbie Power celebrate Slade Steel’s victory. Picture: ©INPHO/Tom Maher
JOY: Travelling head girl for Henry de Bromhead, Zoe Smalley, groom Jack Kelly and Robbie Power celebrate Slade Steel’s victory. Picture: ©INPHO/Tom Maher

14:02: 6' 4" Clareman Thomas Costello, who looks like he should be training with Brian Lohan's Banner hurling panel this week rather than riding runners at Cheltenham, finished fourth in the Supreme on board Willie Mullins's Asian Master.

13:50: No rest. Up next is the Arkle. Willie Mullins's Gaelic Warrior, ridden by Paul Townend, is the 9/4 favourite. Il Etait Temps, also trained by Mullins and ridden by Danny Mullins, is the second favourite at 10/3.

13:48: 

13:43:

13:41: 

13:40: The full result:

1. Slade Steel 7/2 

2. Mystical Power 10/3 

3. Firefox 11/2

13:38: That's a 22nd Cheltenham Festival winner for Henry de Bromhead and a 15th for Rachael Blackmore. Ireland has won 11 of the last 18 Supremes.

13:37: Rachael Blackmore punches the air as she beats Mystical Power down the home straight to win the Supreme on board Slade Steel for Henry de Bromhead. 

13:35: Slade Steel wins the Supreme! 

13:30: We've had a false start in the Supreme but they're off at the second attempt.

13:25: Willie Mullins has five runners in the opening race (Gold Dancer is a non-runner) including joint 11/4 favourites Tullyhill and Mystical Power. Henry de Bromhead's Slade Steel (4/1) and Gordon Elliott's Firefox (6/1) are next in the market.

13:10: Ruby Walsh says State Man, favourite for today's big race, the Champion Hurdle, is "bomb proof".

13:00: In his Irish Examiner column, Ruby Walsh says that if Paul Townend, who rides Willie Mullins's Tullyhill in the Supreme, can get control of the race early on, the pair will be hard to beat.

"I feel that Paul Townend can get in control after half a mile and put a little manners on the contest through the middle third," Walsh writes.

"If he manages to take the pace out of this race and get control of the speed, he will be hard to pass from the second-last.

12:55: Some of the non-runners so far are Gold Dancer in the Supreme Novices Hurdle (1:30pm); Found On and Risk and Roll in the Ultima Handicap Chase (2:50pm).

12:45: We're 45 minutes from the off of the first race at day one of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival. In the Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle, the Irish Examiner's Darren Norris tips Firefox as his Nap of the day. The Gordon Elliott runner is a three-time bumper winner who made a successful start to life over hurdles at Fairyhouse in December. Jack Kennedy rides.

Tommy Lyons opts for Nicky Henderson's Jeriko Du Reponet

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