That’s it from me for today, and for Festival week. I’m handing over the Guardian Sport silks to Barry Glendenning, who will be in the saddle tomorrow and Friday. Thanks for joining me, it’s been fun. Bye!
Updated
Here’s highlights of the day’s final race. Big finish from Ferny Hollow to earn Willie Mullins his 10th Champion Bumper success.
We've been here before - Willie Mullins strikes in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper!
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 11, 2020
Ferny Hollow leads home Appreciate It for a stable 1-2 in the day-two finale 👏 #CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/BhnuSkGm23
Updated
Paul Nicholls serving zingers on Twitter:
Shock 😂😂
— Paul Nicholls OBE (@PFNicholls) March 11, 2020
5.30 Champion Bumper result
1 Ferny Hollow (P Townend) 11-1
2 Appreciate It (Mr P W Mullins) 15-8 Fav
3 Queens Brook (Mr J J Codd) 6-1
23 ran
Also: 16-1 Third Time Lucki 4th
Ferny Hollow wins the Champion Bumper!
It’s a Mullins one-two, with Paul Townend getting a much-needed win despite that slow start. He had too much for Patrick Mullins and Appreciate It in the final furlong.
Updated
At the home turn, Appreciate It makes a move, with Queens Brook in hot pursuit on the outside. Eskylane is going well, and Ferny Hollow has stormed through the field ...
Updated
Mahler Allstar moves up to second behind Israel Champ as they head down the hill. Audacity and Snowpiercer among the strugglers ...
Paul Townend made a slow start on Ferny Hollow, and is still at the back - but only 10 lengths behind the leader. Appreciate It, Adrimel and The Glancing Queen all well-placed.
5.30 Champion Bumper: away we go ...
It’s a hot mess of a false start, with Adrimel and Appreciate It a little too keen. It takes a while to get the 23 runners in order, but eventually they’re off, Israel Champ making a fast start.
Shall we have one more race, then?
As Chris reports, another decent turnout at Cheltenham today.
Today's crowd down just a couple of thou on the 59,209 from last year https://t.co/dEp8mXUnEL
— chris cook (@claimsfive) March 11, 2020
5.30 Champion Bumper latest odds
Appreciate It – 15/8
Queens Brook – 7/2
Panic Attack – 9/1
Israel Champ – 12/1
The Glancing Queen – 12/1
Ferny Hollow –12/1
Third Time Lucki – 16/1
Eskylane – 25/1
Darling Daughter – 20/1
Ocean Wind –25/1
Adrimel – 33/1
Ask A Honey Bee – 33/1
Five Bar Brian – 50/1
Julies Stowaway – 40/1
Good Time Jonny – 66/1
Audacity – 125/1
One True King – 125/1
Brief Ambiition – 150/1
Linelee King – 125/1
Mahler Allstar – 125/1
Let Me Entertain U – 150/1
Can You Call – 250/1
Snowpiercer – 500/1
All odds via Oddschecker.
5.30 Champion Bumper preview
It took Envoi Allen to prevent Willie Mullins winning this race for a 10th time last year, when he held off the Carlow trainer’s Blue Sari by three parts of a length. Is there an Envoi Allen in this field? Mullins hopes not because he fields Appreciate It, who beat a seemingly strong field at the Dublin Racing Festival and has an obvious chance.
Panic Attack changed hands for a large sum and left the Mullins yard for David Pipe. He is very talented but is just four years old and Cue Card has been the only horse of that age to win this since 1995. Ferny Hollow looks a very useful second string for Mullins, having improved marginally for the fitting of a hood to score last time.
It’s interesting to see Queens Brook show up here, as Gordon Elliott said she would skip Cheltenham when she scored easily at Gowran last month. Evidently she has recovered quickly from those exertions.
Updated
JP McManus has had four winners today - but not in the Champion Chase, where his hot favourite was beaten by Paul Nicholls’ Politologue.
Aramax does the business in the Boodles!@gelliott_racing has a fine record in this contest and saddles three of the first four home at @CheltenhamRaces 👏 #CheltenhamFestival pic.twitter.com/GzFur3nBdh
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 11, 2020
4.50 Juvenile Hurdle Handicap result
1 Aramax (M P Walsh) 15-2
2 Night Edition (T Scudamore) 16-1
3 Saint D’Oroux (D Jacob) 14-1
22 ran
Also: 5-1 Jt Fav Blacko, Palladium
Updated
Aramax wins the Juvenile Handicap Hurdle!
It’s another win for the green and gold of JP McManus as Mark Walsh leads Aramax home, with Tom Scudamore second on Night Edition.
Updated
Aramax and Theatre of War come through at the last, with Night Edition moving through the field ...
Three to go, with the field still tightly bunched, save a couple of outsiders. Saint d’Oroux is getting into the mix - and Palladium is pulled up!
Over the third with Palladium and Zoffee still leading. Fraser Island is well-placed, with Thyme White travelling well. Palladium awkward at the next as they reach the top of the hill ...
Nico de Boinville’s Palladium makes a quick start, with all over the first safely. Zoffee and Galahad Quest are going well ...
The Juvenile Handicap is go!
The Boodles/Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle, our penultimate race today, is off ...
Juvenile Handicap latest odds
Palladium – 5/1
Blacko – 11/2
Tronador – 15/2
Mick Pastor – 9/1
Aramax – 12/1
Thyme White – 12/1
Repetito – 20/1
Saint Doroux – 14/1
Recent Revelations – 18/1
Theatre of War – 20/1
Night Edition –20/1
Zoffee –22/1
Galahad Quest –25/1
Langer Dan –25/1
Gealach – 28/1
Sacchoandvanzetti – 40/1
Fraser Island – 50/1
Group Stage – 80/1
Bajan Excell – 80/1
Goa Lil –100/1
Clemencia –150/1
Gerolamo Cardano – 200/1
All odds via Oddschecker.
4.50 Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle preview
Gordon Elliott throws five at a race in which he has a good record and it’s interesting to see the unexposed Tronador being so well supported. He was lowly rated on the Flat but his Thurles win suggests this is much more his game. Aramax beat Recent Revelations so easily at Naas that he’s ended up near the top of the weights and perhaps there will be something unexposed to take advantage.
Theatre Of War is going the right way since joining Gavin Cromwell and it would be no surprise if he has improved again for two months off the track. Repetitio has been precocious and beat a big field of older rivals here in December, for which a 5lb rise is not excessive. Palladium scored a couple of wide-margin wins in the Sandown mud, suggesting this ground will not be a problem.
Tiger Roll has drifted in the National betting after that defeat, and is available at 10-1 to complete a historic hat-trick at Aintree. Rivals Any Second Now (12/1) Burrows Saint (12/1), and Definitly Red (16/1) have all had their odds trimmed, too.
What a smart run from France’s Jonathan Plouganou to outlast Keith Donoghue and Tiger Roll. “My horse loves jumps, he’s the best cross country horse,” he offers in endearingly broken English.
Easy street for Easysland as he beats Tiger Roll in the Cross-Country Chase at @CheltenhamRaces
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 11, 2020
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4.10 Cross Country Chase result
1 Easysland (J Plouganou) 3-1
2 Tiger Roll (K M Donoghue) 8-11 Fav
3 Out Sam (Mr J J Codd) 33-1
14 ran
Also: 33-1 Diesel D’Allier 4th
Non Runners: 5, 15
Updated
Easysland wins the Cross Country Chase!
Easysland leads by two lengths over the last, and pulls away from Tiger Roll, who has to settle for a valiant second! Out Sam, a long, long way back, comes in third.
Updated
Two to go as they turn onto the main course, with Easysland still three lengths clear of Tiger Roll. Can Keith Donoghue close the gap?
Chic Name and Might Bite are still in touch as the leading group pulls away. Easysland still leads, but Tiger Roll is closing in ...
Easysland takes up the lead as they complete the second circuit, with Tiger Roll up to third in behind Outlander as Arlequin falls away dramatically ...
Arlequin D’Allier still leads with Easysland second, and Tiger Roll making good progress. Outlander and Neverrushacon in contention, but Yanworth is the first faller at the 19th fence!
Twelve fences down, with Arlequin leading Kingswell Theatre over the bank. Easysland is well placed, Tiger Roll safely in midfield ...
Thirty fences of all shapes and sizes in this one. The field takes a narrow bypass around the Aintree fence, with Arlequin D’Allier the leader.
The Cross Country Chase is under way
Here we go, then. Tiger Roll chasing a fifth Cheltenham win, with Easysland and old stager Might Bite the closest in the betting.
Updated
Cross Country Chase odds
And now, time for something completely different. The weirdest race of the week is 10 minutes away, with the legendary Tiger Roll an odds-on favourite.
Tiger Roll – 5/6
Easysland – 10/3
Might Bite – 12/1
Urgent De Gregaine – 14/1
Yanworth – 16/1
Neverrushacon – 33/1
Diesel Dallier – 40/1
Out Sam – 40/1
Chic Name – 80/1
Arlequin Dallier – 50/1
Josies Orders – 50/1
Sumkindofking – 150/1
Outlander – 150/1
Kingswell Theatre - 200/1
Live odds via Oddschecker.
Barry Geraghty says he never felt like Defi Du Seuil had the pace: “I tried to nurse him and nurse him, but three from the last I knew the game was up.” He also gives due credit to Skelton for his winning ride.
4.10 Cross Country Chase preview
A drifter last year, Tiger Roll has no shortage of support at the time of writing, his odds hardening into 5-6 for a third consecutive win in this race. He won it rather too easily last year, by 22 lengths from decent rivals, leading to his handicap mark being controversially high for next month’s Grand National. His comeback hurdle race recently was just OK and he’s getting on a bit at the age of 10.
I can’t say odds-on would appeal to me, with a classy, progressive youngster like Easysland to take him on. The six-year-old already has a win around here to his name from December, though there were a couple of scary jumps along the way.
Diesel D’Allier is another interesting French raider with a win here to his name, from November, although the worth of that form does not match Easyland’s. Might Bite is here for a last throw of the dice, the formerly top-class chaser having seemed to lose his enthusiasm for the game.
Report: Politologue wins Champions Chase
Politologue was the surprise winner of the Queen Mother Champion Chase, leading home a 1-2 for his trainer Paul Nicholls. Defi Du Seuil was an extremely disappointing favourite, trailing home in fourth after the withdrawal of Chacun Pour Soi had seemed to leave him with a straightforward task.
Instead, Politologue went straight to the front and stayed there, coming home clear at odds of 6-1 under a delighted Harry Skelton. Dynamite Dollars didn’t jump cleanly enough to challenge the winner but was a game second with Bun Doran third.
For Nicholls, it made for a much better Wednesday than his Tuesday. On the Festival’s opening day, the Somerset man had no runners, the first time in 25 years he has missed a day here, and he went to the local pub to watch the racing on TV instead.
“He ran how he looked today,” Nicholls told RacingTV of Politologue. “He’s best fresh. He’s not the easiest to train, he bled in the Tingle Creek. We changed what we did with him and he was very right today.
Updated
Politologue had a wind op at the start of the season, and has put a mediocre Cheltenham record firmly in the past. 48 hours ago, with Altior and Chacun Pour Soi in the running, Nicholls surely wouldn’t have dared to dream of winning this one. Neither would owner John Hales, who recently suffered a stroke and was overcome with emotion at the finish.
'We dictated it from start to finish!'
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 11, 2020
Winning owner John Hales offers an emotional reaction to Politologue's victory
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Harry Skelton: “This is my first Champion Chase ... we’re ever so grateful to [owner] John Hales for giving me the opportunity. I just can’t believe it”
Trainer Paul Nicholls adds that Politologue isn’t cantered up the hill back at the stables, to avoid exacerbating injuries. He got up the hill that matters today.
Politologue shocks the field to take the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at @CheltenhamRaces
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 11, 2020
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3.30 Champions Chase result
1 Politologue (Harry Skelton) 6-1
2 Dynamite Dollars (H Cobden) 7-1
3 Bun Doran (J J Burke) 33-1
5 ran
Also: 2-5 Fav Defi Du Seuil 4th
Non Runners: 1, 3
Updated
Politologue wins the Champion Chase!
Well, well. Harry Skelton cruises home, with stablemate Dynamite Dollars in a distant second. We were all waiting for Geraghty to make his move, but he couldn’t find an extra gear when it mattered.
Updated
Up the hill, and Defi has work to do here! Politologue is four to five clear of Bun Doran at the last. Dynamite Dollars is close, but Defi Du Seuil is nowhere!
Over the last ditch, where Dynamite Dollars makes a mistake, and Defi Du Seuil still sitting out wide. Now Geraghty is making a move with three to go, but Politologue still leads ...
Geraghty keeps Defi wide, while Dynamite Dollars inches into the top three. Politologue still setting the pace, Sceau Royal the back marker as they approach the water jump ...
Politologue and Bun Doran, the 33-1 outsider, make the early running, with Defi Du Seuil happy to hang back with 10 to jump.
The Champion Chase is live!
All a little subdued as the five-horse field make the turn. That’ll change soon enough. Away we go ...
They’re making their way down to the start for today’s feature race, Geraghty not looking the least bit tired after those two hard-fought wins. On the grey Politologue, Harry Skelton is sizing up the jumps.
Champion Chase latest odds
Only five in this Grade 1 race, with Altior and Chacun Pour Soi big-name non-runners.
Defi Du Seuil – 4/11
Dynamite Dollars – 15/2
Politologue – 8/1
Sceau Royal – 12/1
Bun Doran – 33/1
Live odds via Oddschecker.
3.30 Queen Mother Champion Chase preview
Having been the race we were all looking forward to, this is in danger of being a deflating experience. On top of Altior’s lameness, Chacun Pour Soi will also miss the race because of an abscess reported at 11am. That leaves just one of the ‘Big Three’, Defi Du Seuil, who is now going to be the shortest priced runner at this Festival.
His credentials are excellent, as a two-time Festival winner in the Triumph and the Marsh, and he has re-established himself as a two-miler this winter by beating Un De Sceaux in the Tingle Creek and the Clarence House. He would have been vulnerable against an on-song Chacun Pour Soi, who beat him comfortably last April, but now faces a straightforward task. If this small field leads to a steady pace, that will suit, as he has a wicked turn of foot.
Dynamite Dollars ran well behind Altior on his return from a year’s absence last month and he might be dangerous if allowed to get loose on the front in this small field. Politologue, Sceau Royal and Bun Doran look like known quantities who should not be good enough.
Geraghty will try to deliver JP McManus a hat-trick, on the big Champion Chase favourite, Defi Du Seuil. That’s up next ...
🔥 @sevenbarrows and @BarryJGeraghty are on fire!
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) March 11, 2020
Dame De Compagnie is a winning favourite in the Coral Cup and brings up four winners for the trainer this week. Three for the jockey too! pic.twitter.com/ZWoGcGoOGp
So, a double victory for the week’s form trio: Geraghty, Henderson and McManus. It’s quite the comeback for Geraghty, who suffered a horrible injury at Aintree on the eve of last year’s National:
2.50 Coral Cup result
1 Dame De Compagnie (B J Geraghty) 5-1 Fav
2 Black Tears (D N Russell) 12-1
3 Thosedaysaregone (K J Brouder) 10-1
4 Cracking Smart (G Brouder) 33-1
25 ran
Non Runner: 14
Dame De Compagnie wins the Coral Cup!
It’s another win for Barry Geraghty and Nicky Henderson. It was the favourite, but the favourite never wins this one. Black Tears second, Thosedaysaregone in third.
Updated
Canardier is down! Black Tears takes up the lead, but Dame De Compagnie is closing fast. Thosedaysaregone on the inside, but can’t keep up ...
Updated
The field fans out as they head downhill, with Alfa Mix still leading. Honest Vic up to second, with Black Tears and Canardier well placed, and Dame De Compagnie travelling down the outside ...
Updated
Burrows Edge and Kilfenora are well placed, with Champagne Well improving, in behind the leaders, Top Moon and Alfa Mix, with Honest Vic third. Three to go, plenty still in this.
Honest Vic and Ballymay are in behind the leaders, along with Black Tears. Champagne Well in midfield, and makes an error over the next. Six to jump ...
Alfa Mix the early leader, alongside JP McManus colleague Top Moon. Dark Tears well placed, Canardier held up with seven to go ...
2.50 Coral Cup is go!
Dame De Compagnie is favourite to deliver again for Geraghty and Henderson, but Champagne Well has closed from 20-1 to 15-2 today. Away we go, a little briskly for the starter, but away second time.
Ruby Walsh has picked Sayo each-way at 66-1 for a race he says is wide open - a little too wide open for his liking as a jockey. The all-time leading Cheltenham jockey never won the Coral Cup.
2.50 Coral Cup latest odds
Dame De Compagnie – 9/2
Canardier – 7/1
Franco De Port – 11/1
Champagne Well – 11/1
Thosedaysaregone – 14/1
Alfa Mix – 14/1
Stratum – 14/1
Protektorat – 14/1
Black Tears – 16/1
Eglantine Du Seuil – 16/1
Birchdale – 16/1
Tom Moon – 18/1
Burrows Edge – 22/1
Bachasson – 25/1
Traffic Fluide – 28/1
Cracking Smart – 40/1
Honest Vic – 40/1
Kilfenora – 40/1
Ballymoy – 50/1
Coko Beach – 50/1
The Mighty Don – 66/1
Sayo – 100/1
Golan Fortune – 125/1
Fagan – 125/1
Chesterfield – 125/1
Live odds from Oddschecker.
One footnote to the RSA is the poor showing of both Colin Tizzard’s runners, Copperhead and Slate House. Tizzard also suffered a first-day disappointment with Fiddlerontheroof, beaten 61 lengths in the Supreme. If you fancy his Lostintranslation for the Gold Cup on Friday, you’d like to see one or two others from the yard run well before then. He has no more runners on Wednesday but will be back with four tomorrow.
2.50 Coral Cup preview
JP McManus has a strong hand and punters can’t seem to decide which is the pick of them. Last week, Birchdale was favourite and he certainly has potential, having been well fancied for last year’s Albert Bartlett. He’s had an abortive season, with just one beaten run over fences in November, but is probably on a good mark if fit for this handicap debut.
Dame De Compagnie has usurped him as favourite, having won twice here since the last Festival, albeit on the New Course both times, whereas this race is on the Old. Her December win suggests she is still ahead of her rating. JP also has the top-weight Kilfenora, Alfa Mix, who left it just a bit too late when chasing that one home last time, and the progressive Top Moon, who can be forgiven his defeat over too short a trip last time.
Franco De Port could have a bit in hand after just three starts in Ireland and having chased home Stormy Ireland last time. Black Tears won a big pot at Leopardstown last month and was only beaten two lengths in the Dawn Run here last year.
As ITV have pointed out, that was a Tony McCoy-esque ride from Barry Geraghty to come from behind. Champ is, of course, named after McCoy, and is a favourite of his son, Archie, who was trackside to see it win. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen AP look so excited:
Riding every step@AP_McCoy | Champ
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 11, 2020
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2.10 RSA Chase result
1 Champ (B J Geraghty) 4-1
2 Minella Indo (Rachael Blackmore) 3-1
3 Allaho (P Townend) 5-2 Fav
10 ran
Also: 7-1 Battleoverdoyen 4th
“He was on the back foot all the way, the ground is tacky, it’s hard work,” says Barry Geraghty. It was all about keeping the rhythm, not asking too many questions - I thought I had no chance going over the last, but three strides later, I was smelling the money!”
Updated
Champ wins the RSA Chase!
What a race! Minella Indo had the lead but a mistake at the last let Allaho back in ... but as they scrapped it out, Barry Geraghty came powering back into shot, and snatched the win!
Updated
Two to jump, with Minella Indo and Allaho neck-and-neck, but the field still tightly bunched. The favourites are surging clear, and it looks a two-horse race, but Champ simply won’t go away ...
Updated
Allaho stumbles over the next but doesn’t lose ground, forming a quartet with Minella Indo, Copperhead and Battleoverdoyen. Champ still awkward over the jumps but still in touch, but it’s up for grabs ...
Updated
The field intact as they head into the home turn for the first time, with Allaho still leading at a leisurely pace, and Champ taking the wide route. Battleoverdoyen is well placed in midfield. Eight to jump ...
Allaho leads Minella Indo, with Copperhead moving up to third. Champ and Easy Game further down the field, Castlebawn West dropping right to the back.
The two favourites lead the running, with Aye Right and Castlebawn West, the two outsiders, in behind. 14 fences to jump ...
The RSA Chase is under way!
Allaho and Minella Indo are joint favourites, officially, at 3-1. Champ available at 9-2 in a tight race. And they’re off, at speed ...
2.10 RSA Chase latest odds
Minella Indo – 3/1
Allaho – 10/3
Champ – 9/2
Copperhead – 6/1
Easy Game – 11/1
Battleoverdoyen – 12/1
Slate House – 22/1
Pym – 35/1
Aye Right – 150/1
Castlebawn West – 110/1
Live odds via Oddschecker.
Envoi Allen’s storming Ballymore win has seen his odds for next year’s Champion Hurdle slashed from 12-1 down to 4-1, battling this year’s winner, Epatante, for favourite status.
2.10 RSA Novice Chase preview
He isn’t favourite but Allaho is at the centre of this, for me. He’s a smashing specimen and I got a bit carried away with him ahead of last year’s Albert Bartlett, when he was beaten by Minella Indo. He ought to make a chaser and one hears talk that he is regarded as a proper Gold Cup horse.
He isn’t there yet and the available evidence is that he’ll have a hard time seeing out this trip on this ground, racing as freely as he usually does. I’d have preferred to see him in the Marsh on Thursday. Instead, he’s bashing heads against Minella Indo again and I tend to think that one will confirm the form. Allaho also has ground to make up on Easy Game, who stayed on past him at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Champ’s jumping here at New Year was not good enough, even before he fell. Battleoverdoyen also fell last time, although he was already beaten. He was disappointing at last year’s Festival, when he did not eat up after travelling over. Copperhead won the Reynoldstown by 17 lengths and, while that has not been a great trial for this, he clearly copes well with testing ground.
Slate House was deeply disappointing here in January but the rest of his form would make him a contender. He was running a big race in the BetVictor here in November until falling two out.
On ITV, Matt “Yee-ha” Chapman says Russell “smuggles” his horses into contention, which I quite like. He adds that the roar from the stands was “like winning every World Cup at once”. Maybe dial it back a bit.
Here’s the moment Envoi Allen extended his unbeaten run to eight races:
The unbeaten run stretches to EIGHT!
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 11, 2020
Envoi Allen wins the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle at @CheltenhamRaces
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1.30 Ballymore Novice Hurdle result
1 Envoi Allen (D N Russell) 4-7 Fav
2 Easywork (Rachael Blackmore) 12-1
3 The Big Getaway (P Townend) 9-1
12 ran
Also: 8-1 The Big Breakaway 4th
Updated
Envoi Allen wins the Ballymore!
Davy Russell leads the favourite home; he was tested by The Big Getaway’s efforts, but Paul Townend’s ride faded late on, with Rachael Blackmore’s Easywork taking second.
Envoi Allen is closing the gap, but The Big Getaway finds a burst around the home turn ... but as they approach the last, the favourite looks to have the momentum ...
Updated
The Big Breakaway is now getting into contention, with Getaway Fred drifting off the back now. The Big Getaway still leads from Easywork, Envoi Allen shifting out wide with two to jump ...
They’re roared on as they pass the main grandstand, the pace still swift and the chasers getting closer, Longhouse Poet also travelling well. Four to jump, The Big Getaway still leads ...
Updated
Six hurdles to jump, with The Big Getaway now leading, and the front three opening a small gap. Mossy Fen and Envoi Allen lead the chasers.
Shakem Up’Arry starts at a fair old whip, followed by The Big Getaway, with Easywork in third. The Big Breakaway, thankfully for this MBMer, isn’t in the mix just yet.
Updated
Here we go again!
The Ballymore is off and running!
1.30 Ballymore Novice Hurdle odds
Envoi Allen – 8/11 fav
Sporting John – 5/1
The Big Breakaway – 9/1
The Big Getaway – 16/1
Easywork – 16/1
Longhouse Poet – 20/1
Mossy Fen – 66/1
Son Of Camas – 66/1
Shakem Uparry – 100/1
Decor Irlandais – 100/1
Shan Blue – 150/1
Getaway Fred – 200/1
All odds via Oddschecker.
Fears over coronavirus played their part as Tuesday’s crowds were down on 2019, but organisers expect the Festival to carry on, PA reports.
With increased hygiene measures in place, the Festival began on Tuesday with more than 60,000 racegoers in attendance - down almost 7,000 on last year.
“We had a fantastic first day here yesterday with seven brilliant races, which reminds us what the sport is really about,” said Ian Renton, a regional director for Jockey Club Racecourses.
“All the measures we put in place were well used by racegoers, and we were topping up our hand sanitiser gel stations all day long. The attendance being down was not a surprise. The last fortnight, ticket sales have been very quiet.
“We have been liaising with the Government throughout this; their advice has been extremely helpful. We’ve been following that advice to the letter and we will continue to do so until the conclusion of the Festival.”
Updated
No early leaders in top jockey race
Seven different riders won a race on day one - Barry Geraghty, David Bass, Rachael Blackmore, Nico de Boinville, Jamie Codd, Aidan Coleman and Brendan Powell - with no victories for the favourite, Paul Townend.
One more winner for Geraghty would take him to 40 at the Festival. I reckon he’s still the best there is when it really matters, though De Boinville coped well with a difficult run through on Shishkin. Coleman earned just the third Festival win of his career, 11 years after the first, but may not have long to wait for the fourth, as Paisley Park will be here on Thursday.
Townend will be desperate to get a Wednesday winner, having been beaten on four fancied runners on Tuesday, his first Festival outing as Willie Mullins’s main jockey. He is still favourite to end the week on top but market confidence is ebbing, particularly with Chacun Pour Soi out.
Top jockey betting:
3-1 Paul Townend
4-1 Barry Geraghty
9-2 Rachael Blackmore
6-1 Nico de Boinville
13-2 Davy Russell
16-1 Robbie Power
Top trainers after day one
Nicky Henderson 2
Henry de Bromhead 2
Gordon Elliott 1
Kim Bailey 1
David Bridgwater 1
Nicky Henderson is once more the most successful trainer in Festival history, his 66 wins putting him one ahead of Willie Mullins. His prize money haul from landing the Champion Hurdle and the Supreme also puts him well clear in the race to be top trainer this season, as Paul Nicholls had no runners here on Tuesday.
Henry de Bromhead has now had two winners at consecutive Festivals for the first time and his week could get better still. Gordon Elliott nicked a winner in the last, having gone close with Abacadabras and Galvin, and is now favourite to be top trainer of the week.
Top trainer betting:
11-8 Gordon Elliott
13-8 Willie Mullins
9-2 Nicky Henderson
6-1 Henry de Bromhead
1.30 Ballymore Novice Hurdle preview
Somebody has decided Envoi Allen is basically past the post, as he was hammered from 5-4 to 4-6 for this race, during Tuesday’s action. Judging by the time of the price movements, the trigger was Abacadabras running so well in the Supreme, as Envoi Allen beat him in the Royal Bond in December.
Darver Star, third that day, was also third in yesterday’s Champion Hurdle, so the form book is fully behind Envoi Allen, the Champion Bumper winner a year ago. But there are some useful rivals in the line-up, most obviously Sporting John, unbeaten in three over hurdles and impressive at Ascot last time, though this is a big step up in class.
The Big Getaway, for the Mullins / Townend combination, hacked up in a Naas maiden hurdle, as he was fully entitled to do, and has plenty of potential. The Big Breakaway is similarly unexposed, though his being five and absent since December are sources of concern.
Easywork chased home Asterion Forlonge in a Grade One last time, which is still solid form, although things went wrong for the winner here on Tuesday. Son Of Camas has had a wind operation since flopping in the Tolworth and 50-1 seems unfairly dismissive.
The future of ITV’s racing coverage beyond the end of the year is still shrouded in uncertainty, but its coverage on the opening day of this year’s Festival was extremely popular with viewers, attracting the highest share of the available audience for at least 17 years.
Audience share for yesterday’s coverage was 15%, the highest since records began in 2003, up from 13.9% last year. The average audience, meanwhile, was slightly up too , while the peak audience for the Champion Hurdle was 1.4m viewers, the highest since 1.5m tuned in back in 2011.
What better way to get ready for another big day at @CheltenhamRaces - @francescacumani, @chamberlinsport? 🍾🏇
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 11, 2020
Join us at 1pm on @ITV4! pic.twitter.com/zOOqTWktRd
Tuesday's races and our tips
1.30 Ballymore Novice Hurdle
Envoi Allen 4-6
2.10 RSA Chase
Easy Game (nb) 12-1
2.50 Coral Cup
Top Moon 20-1
3.30 Queen Mother Champion Chase
Defi Du Seuil 1-3
4.10 Cross-Country Chase
Easysland 4-1
4.50 Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle
Palladium (nap) 9-1
5.30 Champion Bumper
Appreciate It 2-1
After a flying start for Britain, with four of the first seven winners, this would be close to a rout, with only Nicky Henderson preventing a clean sweep for raiders. It would be fun to have a French winner at the Festival again, unless of course you care deeply about Tiger Roll winning another cross-country.
Chacun Pour Soi missing the Champion Chase is a blow for Paul Townend and Easy Game could beat him on Allaho in the RSA. I’ve still got two for Willie Mullins in this list, which would hardly be a surprise, even if Tuesday didn’t go to plan for the Carlow man. Joseph O’Brien hit the bar with Fakir but perhaps Top Moon can get him a winner.
ITV will be covering the big races live today, amid ongoing uncertainty over the future of racing on the channel. Here’s Greg Wood’s story from Tuesday:
Updated
Tote's new SP guarantee makes Festival debut
The Tote’s new starting price guarantee – that Tote punters online and at the course will get paid at SP if the normal Tote win return will be lower – made its Festival debut on Tuesday and came into effect in the last four races, including the Champion Hurdle.
Epatante would have paid out at £2.70 for the win pre-guarantee, but instead all her backers at the track got an extra 30p for every pound staked, reflecting her SP of 2-1. There was a bigger bonus in the next race, the Mares’ Hurdle, where Honeysuckle would have paid £2.90 against an SP of 9-4, while later on the card, punters got £5 and £13 about Imperial Aura and Ravenhill, rather than £4.70 and £12.70.
How much it cost the Tote to pay out at SP is not being disclosed, though it’s worth pointing out that the total SP in this race was 126%, which is very healthy from the bookies’ point of view given that this was, for betting purposes, pretty much a head-to-head.
“From our point of view, it was a successful first day,” Susannah Gill, the Tote’s director of communications and corporate affairs, said this morning. “The pool offered value early on, as well as Tote Guarantee kicking in later in the day to ensure customers don’t lose out with the Tote, which is exactly what it’s there for.
“With Tote Guarantee in place we’re pleased with the increased attention and positive feedback from customers.”
Updated
There has been no official line to suggest that the Festival won’t run until Friday as planned, but it does feel as though the shutters could be pulled down on sport around the country at any moment. In case the worst happens, Marina Hyde has an idea:
Chacun Pour Soi absence is blow for Mullins
From being seen as probably the best race of the Festival just 48 hours ago, this afternoon’s Queen Mother Champion Chase now looks likely to be the least competitive contest of the week, following the bitterly disappointing news that Willie Mullins’s Chacun Pour Soi has joined Altior on the sidelines.
Chacun Pour Soi was found to be slightly lame this morning prior to the “trot-up” procedure in front of a vet from the British Horseracing Authority that all horses must go through to be passed fit to race. When a shoe was removed, vets found an abscess in one of the eight-year-old’s feet and he was immediately scratched from the race.
Joe Chambers, racing manager to Rich Ricci, Chacun Pour Soi’s owner, said: “He’s just got a bit of pus in a foot. It’s a 24-hour thing. It’s disappointing, but what can you do?”
Ricci’s horse was the 6-4 second-favourite for this afternoon’s race behind Defi Du Seuil, who is now a 4-11 chance. His sudden departure from the line-up is a major setback for Willie Mullins, his trainer, and Paul Townend, his rider, both still looking for their first win of the meeting.
Updated
To coincide with the Festival and International Women’s Day, Great British Racing have launched their #JustJockeys campaign, promoting gender equality in racing.
Rachael Blackmore and Flat race jockey Hollie Doyle are backing the campaign. “We compete against men every day and we’re equals on and off the track,” says Doyle.
“#JustJockeys recognises that all jockeys have the same skills and are equally as driven ... if given the opportunity, women are just as good as men and our gender should not come into the equation.”
Here’s Chris Cook on the news that Chacun Pour Soi will miss the Champion Chase, plus his tips for today’s other races.
Champion Chase preview
Having been the race we were all looking forward to, this is in danger of being a deflating experience. On top of Altior’s lameness, Chacun Pour Soi will also miss the race because of an abscess reported at 11am. That leaves just one of the ‘Big Three’, Defi Du Seuil, who is now going to be the shortest priced runner at this Festival, at around 1-3 as I type. His credentials are excellent, as a two-time Festival winner in the Triumph and the Marsh, and he has re-established himself as a two-miler this winter by beating Un De Sceaux in the Tingle Creek and the Clarence House.
He would have been vulnerable against an on-song Chacun Pour Soi, who beat him comfortably last April, but now faces a straightforward task. If this small field leads to a steady pace, that will suit, as he has a wicked turn of foot. Dynamite Dollars ran well behind Altior on his return from a year’s absence last month and he might be dangerous if allowed to get loose on the front in this small field. Politologue, Sceau Royal and Bun Doran look like known quantities who should not be good enough.
Chacun Pour Soi out of Champion Chase
After Altior’s withdrawal yesterday, Chacun Pour Soi has been declared a non-runner for today’s feature race. An epic three-way battle becomes a likely procession for Defi Du Seuil ...
Ay caramba https://t.co/Nu6XmtNXw2
— chris cook (@claimsfive) March 11, 2020
Tipping competition
You could win a £100 account credit from Betfair by proving your tipping prowess on today’s races. All you have to do is give us your selections for all of today’s races at Cheltenham. As ever, our champion will be the tipster who returns the best profit to notional stakes of £1 at starting price on each tip. Non-runners count as losers.
Please post all your tips in a single posting, using the comment facility below, before the first race at 1.30pm.
There are seven races at Cheltenham today and you must post a single selection for each race. Our usual terms and conditions, which you can read here, will apply, except that this will be a strictly one-day thing. If we get a tie after all the races have been run, the winner will be the one who posted their tips earliest out of those with the highest score. If an entrant has to repost their selections because of a non-runner, we will use the time of their later posting for tiebreak purposes.
Congratulations to greenkey, who had three winners on day one, notably pairing Put The Kettle On (16-1) with Ravenhill (12-1), adding in Honeysuckle (9-4) for good measure and a final score of +26.25. There was a three-way tie for second place on +18.50 between chris1623, fastgameplayer and 24skiddoo, who, remarkably, was our first-day winner a year ago.
Greenkey, we’ll be in touch by email to arrange your prize. And if you don’t win today, don’t despair. We are running an identical competition on each day of the Festival.
Updated
Preamble
Two favourites beaten at odds-on made it a rewarding day for the bookmakers on the opening afternoon at the Festival, though the success of 3-1 favourite Epatante in the feature event sent at least some money in the opposite direction.
Tuesday, though, was probably little more than a warmup for Wednesday’s exchanges in the betting ring. The two middle days of the meeting proved hugely rewarding for the backers last year, with a long run of winning favourites that left the bookies chasing their losses for a change (and cost racing around £5m in Levy income). This afternoon’s card certainly has the potential to be just as profitable for punters.
It has a short-priced favourite at either end, headed up by Envoi Allen in the Ballymore Novice Hurdle. He has been seen as a banker for months, with other trainers arranging their running plans around where he was most likely to turn up, and the news on Sunday that Gordon Elliott had singled out the opener this afternoon was enough to send his price below even money.
If Envoi Allen goes in, there are several warm favourites throughout the card for reinvestment of winnings, ahead of the Bumper at 5.30, when Willie Mullins’s Appreciate It is yet another short-priced market leader. Even the Cross Country, generally one of the least popular events at the meeting from a betting point of view, offers no refuge for the bookies, as dual National winner Tiger Roll, probably the most popular chaser in training, will be attempting to follow up last year’s victory.
If the results start going the punters’ way, it is possible that there will be as many as four horses at around evens or shorter on today’s card, as Defi Du Seuil is only narrowly odds-against for the Champion Chase.
This race, of course, is now a head-to-head after Altior’s departure from the line-up on Tuesday. The bookmakers seem fairly sure at this stage that Defi Du Seuil will set off as favourite, but having walked around the race a dozen times and prodded it in all manner of places, I still can’t see why Chacun Pour Soi is not joint-favourite at least.
He is 6lb clear of Defi Du Seuil on Timeform ratings, beat his main rival soundly at Punchestown last year, should still be improving after just eight starts to date and stopped the clock in the sort of time that only an outstanding performer can manage at Leopardstown last time. Defi Du Seuil, it’s true, has the important advantage of proven form at the track, but even so.
Still, it’s all about opinions and this one, along with many others, will be tested when the tapes go up – or rather, across – at 1.30pm GMT this afternoon. Chris Cook’s tips for the day are here, and all the news and views will appear here as they happen.
Sounds quite a training performance from Nicholls with Politologue. Reminds me of Pipe winning it with Well Chief who had feet that somebody likened to running on pint glasses. Both of them sound on the day that mattered most.