Cheltenham Festival day one: Latest updates and today's best tips
And so it begins...
Good morning and welcome to Telegraph Sport's live coverage of the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. As far as jump racing goes, this is very much the holy grail, where legends are made, hopes are dashed and punters lock horns with the bookies over four of the finest days of racing anywhere in the world.
There are storylines everywhere you look but perhaps the most pressing, for the bookmakers at least, is the multi-million pound payout oddsmakers are facing should today's four short-priced favourites do the business for punters.
If Kopek Des Bordes (1.20), Majborough (2.000, Lossiemouth (3.20) and Constitution Hill (3.20) all win, industry liabilities could run as high as £80 million in, says Unibet's Ed Nicholson.
Ten years ago, Annie Power's fall in mares' hurdle saved the industry an equally painful body blow and there is certainly a similar atmosphere of tension for bookmakers today.
'I have a sense of deja vu,' Nicholson said yesterday, adding that the appetite for accumulators on the first day of the Festival has grown appreciably since 2015. 'For those of us here 10 years ago we might need a strong 'constitution' at 4pm.'
And what of Constitution Hill? The horse many a punter will be hoping will be lining their pockets later this afternoon. The eight-year-old is currently a best-priced 8/11 to regain the crown he won in 2023 but there is unquestioned support for his nearest rival, Brighterdaysahead – now a 2/1 shot to spoil the party.
Stay with Telegraph Sport throughout the day for the best tips and reaction on day one of the Cheltenham Festival.
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