Cheltenham Festival LIVE: Tips and outcomes from Champions Day as Lossiemouth claims the Champion Hurdle on an action-packed opening day

What a race from an all-timer of a mare.

She just never turned up the last day, but I knew going up today, she was a lot happier. We didn’t go hard early on, but she travelled much sweeter and kinder to herself. You know very early on whether she’s going or not.

It’s easy to have (belief) in someone with as much ability as she does. Look at her, she’s as calm as you like. She’s been very good to me in this place.

By some distance, what a run from the mare. Decisive victory, as she writes herself into the history books with a fourth win at Cheltenham Festival!

She’s clear over the final hurdle…

… as they run down the hill with three more to go, taking the third last as Brighterdaysahead clings on to that lead.

Lossiemouth wants to edge ahead now, and she’s applying real pressure.

The New Lion is some way back…

… with Lossiemouth settled in second, with The New Lion jumping well with five hurdles to go. He’s nestled up next to Workahead, just ahead of Alexei.

Golden Ace in third, just in front of The New Lion on the outside.

Brighterdaysahead is still in the lead by a nose.

Brighterdays ahead applies pressure, and streaks into the lead by half-a-length. Lossiemouth comes up on the outside to track the Henry de Bromhead-trained horse.

Big mistake for Anzadam, which also troubles Tutti Quanti, who fall to the back of the pack.

It’s a real jumble at the starting line, but there’s an edgy false start, with Tutti Quanti a victim of it.

He comes in to line a little later, but continues to kick out and dig in his heels.

A standing start is the order of the day, with the horses forced to take a turn. Tutti Quanti really looks unhappy, but he gets underway with the rest of them…

Quite rightly, the stars of the show are paraded in front of the grandstand as the clock ticks towards 4pm.

Golden Ace looks settled, while The New Lion and Lossiemouth are friskier, tossing their heads.

Gordon Elliott, trainer of Brighterdaysahead, gives ITV Racing a last word:

I suppose she’s come in with a better preparation. We’re hoping third time lucky. I imagine we’ll be second or third, we’ll keep it simple. With the ground drying out, it isn’t ideal, but she’s in good form.

She’s won the Mares Hurdle twice, after she was re-entered in that race rather than the Champion Hurdle last year. But it’s her time now. Can she make it pay?

Owner Rich Ricci explains the decision to run her this time:

I think last year, her prep was interrupted. She had a terrible fall, and off the back of a lacklustre run at Kempton – but this year, she’s been uninterrupted in her prep, so why not take a crack? It’s a wide-open Champion Hurdle. Let’s take a chance.

She’s in cheek pieces today, which Willie Mullins and Ricci hope will help her stick in the longer run-in and deliver at pace.

Not long until we find out.

The first day of last year’s Festival was one of the most dramatic many could remember, after a stacked field including Constitution Hill and State Man delivered a stunning upset in the form of the 25/1 winner.

Constitution Hill fell first, before State Man fell at the last, with Brighterdaysahead – who will compete again today – the next hot favourite.

Few could have predicted a ride of Golden Ace’s life, particularly after the mare had only been included on the racecard at the insistence of owner Ian Gosden.

Courtesy of Paddy Power, it’s Lossiemouth who has the edge with the bookies, as things stand.

Lossiemouth (Paul Townend) 11/8

The New Lion (Harry Skelton) 11/4

Brighterdaysahead (J.W Kennedy) 7/2

Golden Ace (Lorcan Williams) 10/1

Alexei (Brendan Powell) 18/1

Poniros (D.E Mullins) 14/1

Tutti Quanti (Harry Cobden) 20/1

Anzadam (P.W Mullins) 20/1

Workahead (D.J O’Keefe) 100/1