The eight-year-old had it all to do approaching the final fence, but thundered past both Allaho (5/2 favourite) and Minella Indo (3/1), defeating the latter by a length, with the Willie Mullins-trained favourite a further length behind in third.

Champ, ridden by Barry Geraghty for owner J P McManus, was named after former multiple champion jockey A P McCoy. The King’s Theatre eight-year-old was sent off at odds of 4/1.

Winning trainer Henderson said of Champ:

“He’s a horse with a wonderful temperament and attitude, and to be fair his fall [at Cheltenham on January 1] didn’t do that much damage. It was a horrible fall though. We really wanted to have another race but there was nowhere to go. He did have a racecourse school, and to be fair Nico [de Boinville] has done a lot of work with him, particularly in the indoor school, even yesterday morning he jumped half a dozen poles. Everyone has worked hard, it goes without saying, but Nico takes a lot of credit with this one.”

2.10pm RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

1 Champ (J P McManus) Nicky Henderson 8-11-04 Barry Geraghty 4/1

2 Minella Indo (Barry Maloney) Henry de Bromhead 7-11-04 Rachael Blackmore 3/1

3 Allaho (Cheveley Park Stud) Willie Mullins IRE 6-11-04 Paul Townend 5/2f

10 ran

Distances: 1, 1

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The Nicky Henderson-trained mare beat Davy Russell and Black Tears (12/1) by two and a quarter lengths, with Thosedaysaregone (10/1) a further two and a half lengths back in third.

This was winner number four for the English handler at the 2020 Festival and followed the victory of Champ in the Grade 1 RSA Insurance Novices’ Chase earlier in the day.

The J P McManus-owned, a seven-year-old by Lucarno, gave jockey Barry Geraghty his 41^st Festival success.

The Master of Seven Barrows said:

“You are getting into the realms of you don’t believe it. You certainly couldn’t believe Champ but this is a lovely mare. It’s always a very competitive race but she was very good. It wasn’t that headlong Coral dash with a lot of horses flat to the boards and anything could have won coming down the hill.

2.50pm Coral Cup Handicap Hurdle (Grade 3)

1 Dame de Compagnie (J P McManus) Nicky Henderson 7-10-12 Barry Geraghty 5/1f

2 Black Tears (Caren Walsh & John Lightfoot) Gordon Elliott 6-11-02 Davy Russell 12/1

3 Thosedaysaregone (Brynes Bloodstock Ltd) Charles Byrnes 7-10-11 Kevin Brouder (3) 10/1

4 Cracking Smart (Gigginstown House Stud) Gordon Elliott 8-11-11 Gavin Brouder (7) 33/1

25 ran

Distances: 2¼, 2½, 1¼

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2/1 favourite Epatante, a six-year-old mare, is the fifth of her sex to win the Champion Hurdle, and the first since Annie Power in 2016. She beat the Willie Mullins-trained Sharjah (16/1) by three lengths in what was a ninth success in the race for owner J P McManus.

Sharjah briefly threatened on the run to the last hurdle, while Darver Star (17/2), trained by 2019 Unibet Champion Hurdle winning trainer Gavin Cromwell, ran with huge credit to finish in third place.

The winner, Epatante, was unplaced in the G2 novice mares’ hurdle at The Festival last year, but Geraghty said: “She got lit up on the day last year, when we put the hood on her. She was keen at Exeter and we just felt that the occasion was going to light her up, so we put the hood on her. She ran with the choke out. We plugged her ears today – she settled lovely yet travelled sweetly. There are always a lot of decisions to be made in the run up to a race and thankfully, they went right, as they can often go wrong.”

3.30pm Unibet Champion Hurdle (Grade 1)

1 Epatante (J P McManus) Nicky Henderson & Barry Geraghty 2/1f

2 Sharjah (Susannah Ricci) Willie Mullins & Mr Patrick Mullins 16/1

3 Darver Star (SSP Number Twenty Two Syndicate) Gavin Cromwell & Jonathan Moore 17/2

17 ran.

Distances: 3, 3¾.

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Ridden by Nico de Boinville, the Donnellys 6/1 shot stayed on strongly up the Cheltenham hill to get the better of a battle with the Gordon Elliott-trained Abacadabras (11/4), with Shishkin’s stable companion Chantry House (15/2) was a further 11 lengths back in third.

Seven Barrows maestro Henderson, drew level with Willie Mullins as the most successful trainer ever at The Festival with his 65^th victory.

Shishkin, a £170,000 purchase at Tattersalls Cheltenham in 2018, was providing Henderson with a fourth victory in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle following on from Altior (2016), Flown (1992) and River Ceiriog (1986).

1.30pm Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

1 Shishkin (Marie Donnelly) Nicky Henderson & Nico de Boinville 6/1

2 Abacadabras (Gigginstown House Stud) Gordon Elliott & Davy Russell 11/4

3 Chantry House (J P McManus) Nicky Henderson & Barry Geraghty 15/2

15 ran 9/4 fav Asterion Forlonge (4th)

Distances: hd, 11.

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Henderson is the second most successful trainer in history at The Festival with 64 winners, one behind great rival Willie Mullins, and has been the leading trainer at the meeting nine times. If you are looking to find the latest betting offers for Cheltenham head to BettingLounge.co.uk

Altior is aiming for a third successive victory in the £400,000 G1 Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase over two miles, a feat achieved only once before by Badsworth Boy in 1983, 1984, 1985.

Now a 10-year-old, Altior tasted his first defeat over obstacles when stepped up in trip to two miles and five furlongs in the G2 1965 Chase at Ascot in November, but bounced back with a dominant victory back at two miles in the G2 Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on 8 February.

Altior is unbeaten in four starts at The Festival, having also captured the G1 Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2016 and the G1 Racing Post Arkle Novices’ Chase in 2017.

Speaking from his Seven Barrows Stables in Lambourn stables this morning, Henderson said: “All is going well with Altior. He has been ticking over since Newbury and will have a couple of schools before Cheltenham. I seldom school him but I think he just enjoys it.

“If we take Newbury as Altior’s first run of the season, which you have to really, it was perfect. If you were coming into the Tingle Creek or something on the back of that, you would say we are absolutely spot on.

“The disaster was the first run of the year – in the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong ground over the wrong trip. I could not have made a worse job of it if I had tried! If it wasn’t for the hype and build up around the race, I should have really been the spoilt sport and taken him out on the morning of the race. But you couldn’t. It would have been a walkover and Ascot would not have been very happy with me, nor would the rest of the world.

“I paid the penalty for running him because it took him until Newbury to get over it. In fairness, I think Paul [Nicholls] says the same thing with Cyrname. It was a bruising race we had at Ascot, both having our first run of the season. Had they run before it in a prep race, I suspect both of them would have been all right. Altior was exhausted and there was no question of him running at Christmas.

“It looks a seriously good Champion Chase and should be a big battle. Altior is certainly fresh and well now, and the better ground, the better he will be. I suspect Defi Du Seuil and Chacun Pour Soi probably handle softer ground better than we do, although Altior has won on soft ground. You saw at Newbury how Altior can change gear. You have to ask the question, and once Nico (de Boinville, jockey) did, he answered very quickly.”

Altior is the 2/1 favourite for the Queen Mother Champion Chase with sponsor Betway.

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