Cheltenham Festival review | Results and reports for day one

The style of success again raised questions about how Lossiemouth may have fared in the Champion Hurdle, the race that was seemingly on her agenda until connections committed to a defence of her Mares' Hurdle title.

Lossiemouth, the 4/6 favourite, was always going smoothly in behind stablemate Jade De Grugy and easily picked that rival off on the approach to the final flight.

She cruised seven and a half lengths clear to give Paul Townend and Willie Mullins a double on the day after Kopek Des Bordes' victory in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. Jade De Grugy held on for second, a length and three-quarters in advance of Take No Chances.

Mullins said: "She was very good. I was disappointed we didn't have a crack at the Champion Hurdle but we worked her against State Man the other day and it wasn't a Champion Hurdle bit of work so the obvious thing was to come back.

"It's disappointing for everyone waiting for the clash, as well as us, but you're just looking for where you can get winners. Rich [Ricci, owner] hasn't got a big team here this week so we've done the right thing for Rich."

Townend said: "She carried me. We were going no gallop and the second favourite, Jade De Grugy, is decent and I wasn't going to give her free rein.

"She's a high-class mare. We went a fair gallop for a while at Leopardstown the last day, so she was probably expecting that when we jumped off, but she was fine and doing half-speed everywhere."

It was a third win at the Cheltenham Festival for Lossiemouth who won the Triumph Hurdle in 2023.

Jango Baie powers home to win dramatic Arkle

Jango Baie stormed up the Cheltenham hill under Nico de Boinville to register an unlikely success in a thrilling edition of the Arkle.

Jango Baie, who was dropping back in trip having finished runner-up in the Scilly Isles Novices' Chase over two and a half miles last time, looked to be labouring on the run down the hill and hit a high of 300/1 in running on Betfair.

He still had plenty on his plate after only jumping the final fence in fourth, but the 5/1 shot stormed home to edge ahead close home, beating Only By Night, the 25/1 outsider, by three-quarters of length.

The 1/2 favourite Majborough was a gallant third, only a short head behind the runner-up, and the story may well have been different had he not slithered on landing at the second last after leading the field into the straight. L'Eau du Sud also held every chance and touched odds-on in-running, but weakened into fourth, three-quarters of a length behind Majborough.

De Boinville said: "They've gone really hard and I just couldn't go the gallop, I sort of had to accept defeat and ride for a place. It all sort of fell into my lap after jumping the last and I thought 'oh gosh, we could be in with a squeak here'.

"We know he stays two and a half and he's really seen it out well but I was run off my feet early doors."

Jango Baie is trained by Nicky Henderson who had a blank at last year's Festival with a much-reduced team after poor stable form resulted in most of his key contenders being withdrawn. Henderson didn't have to wait long to get on the scoresheet at this year's meeting and said: "We'd got one thing right the whole way through - this is not a two-miler. Sadly they took the Turners away which would have been lovely. We were going to make the running but he couldn't go fast enough... it was some ride.

"It's lovely ground, it's proper fast, jumping ground, and they were hammering away and he couldn't go fast enough. I have seen it before when they are that outpaced - you've always got the hill to come to your aid if you need it. He flew the last and just got running - I didn't know he could go that fast, I must admit."

Kopek Des Bordes delivers in Supreme Novices' Hurdle

Kopek Des Bordes overcame a mistake at the final flight to win the Michael O'Sullivan Supreme Novices' Hurdle under Paul Townend for Willie Mullins, giving the trainer an eighth success in the Cheltenham Festival opener.

Kopek Des Bordes, sent off the 4/6 favourite after registering an impressive 13-length success at the Dublin Racing Festival, was always travelling strongly under Townend and stylishly moved past 9/2 second favourite Romeo Coolio after the second last.

Kopek Des Bordes blundered at the final flight but found enough when asked to repel the challenge of William Munny, scoring by a length and three-quarters. Romeo Coolio was five and a half lengths back in third.

William Munny was carrying the silks of Barry Connell that were worn by Michael O'Sullivan aboard 2023 Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Marine Nationale. O'Sullivan, who was also a key part of the Mullins operation, tragically lost his life last month as a result of injuries sustained at a fall at Thurles, and Townend was visibly emotional after crossing the line.

Mullins said: "We sent a good team to try and win it [the race named after Michael] and I'm delighted we did."

On Kopek Des Bordes' performance, Mullins added: "When they quickened the pace down the back, I thought, are they going too fast? Will they collapse in front? But he didn’t, and William Munny didn’t, and Paul said when he hit the front he was just looking at the stands, looking at the last hurdle, looking everywhere, and made a mess of the last, but then he said he would have galloped all the way up the hill to the Hunter’s Lodge, the hotel at the top, he had that much running in him. Very few horses finish with anything going up that hill - you don’t need to pull them up, they pull themselves up."

Townend said: "It was the perfect start. I got into a lovely position, there was a good gallop early. I was in front sooner than I wanted to be after a good jump at the second last - I thought Jack [Kennedy, on Romeo Coolio] would bring me a little further.

"He's relatively inexperienced, he had a look at the stand, and even with the hood he heard the noise. He missed the last but picked up again after the back of it. He's a very, very good horse."

Asked whether Kopek Des Bordes can go to the top, Townend said: "I think he can. He has had so little racing and every day is a school day with him - he's growing up all the time. People said he ran too keen at Leopardstown but I wanted to get him to jump. He's not the finished article yet but hopefully he can keep improving."

Myretown lands Ultima gamble

Myretown made all the running in the Ultima Handicap Chase to justify the strong support that saw him sent off 13/2 favourite.

Myretown, available at a double-figure price in the morning, was sent straight into the lead by Patrick Wadge - who was riding his first Cheltenham Festival winner - and produced a fine round of jumping, putting in an especially impressive leap at the fourth-last fence at the top of the hill.

He had a few horses on his tail turning into the straight but he found plenty up the hill to roar 11 lengths clear of The Changing Man, with Malina Girl three and three-quarter lengths back in third and Happygolucky completing the frame three-quarter lengths back.

Wadge said: "He was brilliant, I didn't know what he'd be like. His jumping hasn't been the best through his career but we jumped off, I had a soft lead everywhere and just let him wing fences. He made one little mistake down the back but he was very good.

"To be here on these days, thanks to the boss Lucinda and Scu and everyone back home, it's a dream come true."

Winning trainer Lucinda Russell, who won the race in 2022 and 2023 with Corach Rambler, said: "He's phenomenal. I always thought he'd be another Ahoy Senor, and we bought him because he looked like Ahoy Senor.

"I wasn't that keen on running him, to be honest. It was Bruce and Carron [the owners] who said 'come on, let's take it on'.

"If he jumped around he was phenomenally well handicapped. I just didn't know if he was going to be man enough for it but it looks like he is."

O'Brien again in the Fred Winter

Trainer Joseph O’Brien won his third career Fred Winter as Puturhandstogether scored in good style under Mark Walsh.

The betting market was dominated by Stencil (11/4 fav) in the same JP McManus ownership, but it was O’Brien’s charge who put it all together on the big day following an eyecatching second at Fairyhouse when last seen in early-February.

The son of Caravaggio, who proved relatively easy to back at 17/2, was brought onto the heels of the leaders turning for home and took up the running from Hot Fuss approaching the eighth and final flight.

Walsh kept the winner up to his work after drifting over towards the stands’ side rail and he pulled nicely clear to score by six lengths from 50/1 outsider Robbies Rock, who had a rough trip but finished best of the rest to grab second from Liam Swagger (12/1).

Hot Fuss (17/2) hung in there for fourth, with 33/1 shots Slurricane and Wendrock fifth and sixth respectively.

Joseph O’Brien said: “This race is always won by ex-Flat horses, but I suppose that is where the improvement has come from having run on winter ground then getting a bit of spring ground today as he seemed to really thrive on it.

"He did surprise me to be honest with you as to how easy he got there as coming here I thought he was in with a chance, but we didn’t think he was that well handicapped.

"I suppose at half-way it looked as if he was going very easy and he cruised into the race. Mark gave him a great ride as the pace was on, but he took a sit and let them all at it. I would say that was probably the difference today.

“There wasn’t much to split them in the race and Mark had to decide which one to ride and he chose the right one obviously. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he rode Beyond Your Dreams or Puturhandstogether.

“These big handicaps at Cheltenham you just have to take your chance and be as prepared as you can and hope you get a bit of luck on the day. Any winner at Cheltenham is special.

“I suppose we will see what the handicapper does. We have gone onto the Galway Hurdle with some of the horses in the past so that might be a logical step."

Haiti Couleurs impresses in National Hunt Chase

Haiti Couleurs registered an emphatic four-and-a-half-length success in the National Hunt Novices' Handicap Chase for Ben Jones and Rebecca Curtis.

Always travelling well in a prominent position, the 7/2 favourite Haiti Couleurs jumped on at the third last. He was left with a clear advantage when Now Is The Hour, who had also moved stylishly into contention, fell at the second last, and he never looked in danger from that point.

Curtis, who was enjoying a sixth Cheltenham Festival winner and a first since Lisnagar Oscar won the Stayers' Hurdle in 2020, said: "It's amazing, I felt so nervous before this horse ran today. Watching him is almost like watching it all in slow-motion, but he's done that well and deserved that."

She added: "He's such a tough horse. He wouldn't be overly speedy but he'll gallop all day long and his jumping is so quick and accurate."

Commenting on the decisive nature of the victory, Jones said: "It was a walk in the park really. I think over the extra trip it felt like he was cantering away a shade slower and he just lobbed and jumped and lobbed and jumped.

"I didn't really ask him to quicken until turning for home and I felt like I had loads left. He's missed two out and the last but has put his head down and galloped all the way to the line."

The frame was completed by Rock My Way in second, Will Do in third and Resplendent Grey in fourth.

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