FEATURE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL
CHAMPION DAY DAY ONE The wait can feel like a lifetime, but once it has arrived, the Cheltenham Festival certainly doesn’t mess around. With no fewer than four Grade One contests on the opening seven-race card, it’s straight to business on Champion Day…
T here are few sporting events that can rival the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival, and there are some racing fans who will admit that the anticipation begins the second the gates close on Gold Cup Day the year before. With such excitement comes great pressure, though it is safe to say that Champion Day does not disappoint.
Four of the first five races on the card are top-level contests, beginning with the Grade One Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over two miles. It is a tradition for the curtain-raiser to be met with a ‘Cheltenham roar’ from the 60,000-plus racegoers in attendance, a goosebump moment that’s a fitting way to usher in the first act of horseracing’s greatest play.
Staged over the exact same trip as the Unibet Champion Hurdle, the Supreme is a high-octane test for the novices that often produces a thrilling finish. It has an impressive roll of honour, too, with future stars such as Altior, Douvan and a certain Constitution Hill all coming out on top in recent years. We will touch on the last-named shortly, but last season proved to be
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