Cheltenham Festival 2024 live: Results, tips and updates from day one as State Man wins Champion Hurdle

After weeks of conjecture about big race entries, the weather forecast and the form of Nicky Henderson’s yard, the waiting is finally over and the usual buzz of anticipation greets day one of the Cheltenham Festival. 

The Arkle and Champion Hurdle lost their strong antepost favourites with Marine Nationale and star attraction Constitution Hill declared unfit to race, news which reshaped two of the first three races on today’s card.

Before that comes an open looking Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, a race in which Willie Mullins has trained seven winners and he saddles the front two in the betting today. Tullyhill is the favourite with Paul Townend aboard, following two wins in Ireland making all. Tullyhill is expected to be ridden prominently again, although the soggy and sapping conditions may check those ambitions slightly. Mystical Power, a five-year-old with just two runs over obstacles, is very unexposed and falls into the category of ‘could be anything’. If the race turns into a staying test then Slade Steel could appeal for Henry De Bromhead, who has a win at 2m 4f on his record and a second to Ballyburn, favourite for Wednesday’s two-and-a-half-miler. 

Then comes the Arkle, a two-mile novice chase, and Gaelic Warrior is thought to be the outstanding athlete in the race and clear favourite. The Mullins horse could well prove in a class of his own, but there are worries about him going left-handed and he unseated his rider last time out. He is yet to win at the Festival, although seconds in the Boodles and last year’s Ballymore are hardly a disgrace. Mullins also has strong contenders in Il Etait Temps and Hunters Yarn, while De Bromhead’s Quilixios could get into the mix. 

At 2.50 is today’s big handicap chase, the Ultima, in which The Goffer is fancied to improve on last year’s fourth in the same race, which was won by Grand National winner Corach Rambler. As ever in big-field Festival handicaps, there are several in with chances and Kim Bailey trains a well-fancied pair in Chianti Classico and Trelawne. 

The Championship race of the day comes at 3.30 in what looks a fairly shallow Champion Hurdle. As far clear as Constitution Hill is of State Man, many believe the gap to State Man and the rest is just as considerable. Mullins-trained State Man is odds-on favourite, with main rival Irish Point needing the race to become a stamina test. Irish Point won at just shy of three miles on heavy ground at Leopardstown last time out. It would be some show of versatility if he proved quick enough to win a Champion Hurdle over two miles and 87 yards.

Later in the day comes the Mares’ Hurdle, the Boodles for juvenile hurdlers and then the National Hunt Challenge Cup.