Cheltenham Festival 2017 - as it happened: Tips, races and results from Champion Hurdle day
Re-live all the action from day one at the Cheltenham Festival
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Your support makes all the difference.The Cheltenham Festival has finally arrived with four days of action-packed racing to get stuck into, culminating in the eagerly-anticipated Gold Cup.
Follow all the live action from today's races and stay tuned as we bring you the latest tips and odds.
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Tuesday - Champion Day:
1.30 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle
2.10 Racing Post Arkle Steeple Chase
2.50 Baylis & Harding Handicap Chase
3.30 Stan James Champion Hurdle
4.10 Mares’ Hurdle
4.50 National Hunt Chase
5.30 Close Brothers H’cap Chase
Our big-race predictions:
Day One
Champion Hurdle – Brain Power
The forecast good ground will see this progressive horse make the most of a weak renewal.
Day Two
RSA Chase – Whisper
With reasons to swerve those at the front of the market, this chaser’s Cheltenham record will serve as invaluable experience.
Day Three
JLT Novices’ Chase – Disko
This grey can pile on the pressure from the front, and jump his rivals into submission.
Day Four
Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup - Cue Card
Heart over head for what would surely be the perfect end to a brilliant career.
Good morning and welcome to day one of the 2017 Cheltenham Festival!
There's plenty to get stuck into today with seven races on the cards though the Champion Hurdle, at 3.30pm, is what all punters will be eagerly looking forward to as favourites Yanworth, Brain Power and Petit Mouchoir all go head-to-head.
Stay tuned as we bring you the latest news and tips from this afternoon's races. We should be in for quite the day!
Half an hour to go before the first race today at Cheltenham – where earlier an AP McCoy statue was unveiled...
15 minutes until our first race of the day – the Novices' Hurdle – looking at the moment like being a two-way tussle between Ruby Walsh, fresh from social media stunts this week, riding Melon and Ballyandy ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies.
Willie Mullins, whose horse Melon goes out as favourite, has 4 winners in the past 10 runnings.
Five minutes to go until the first race, some serious picnics have no doubt already been devoured
Melon reportedly looking a bit hot and sweaty in the paddock and Ballyandy is now joint favourite for the Novices' Hurdle – it's a clash between England and Ireland with the Walsh/Mullins combo of Melon against the Twiston-Davies' Ballyandy. Not long to go now...
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