Honeysuckle and Blackmore make it an opening day at Cheltenham to savour

PA Sport Reporters
March 16, 2021 6:15 pm

And super Shishkin rockets to two-mile stardom.

Honeysuckle extended her flawless record to 11 runs and 11 wins as she cruised to an unchallenged six-and-a-half-length victory in the Unibet Champion Hurdle.

Remaining on the outside of the field for most of the race, Rachael Blackmore – the first female to ride the winner of the great race – asked the mare to take the lead two flights from home and they easily powered past their rivals and up the hill to make Festival history.

The 11-10 win was one of a handful of victories for favourites on day one of the Festival, with Willie Mullins’ 8-11 shot Appreciate It opening the meeting with a facile 24-length victory in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin then justified his price of 4-9 when comfortably taking the Sporting Life Arkle Novices’ Chase with 12 lengths to spare.

There were some surprises, however, with Sue Smith’s Vintage Clouds bagging the Ultima Handicap Chase at 28-1 on his fifth attempt, and Noel Meade’s Jeff Kidder landing the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at massive odds of 80-1.

Picture of the day

Paul Townend smiles and celebrates after Appreciate It's demolition job in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle — Paul Townend smiles and celebrates after Appreciate It’s demolition job in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (Tim Goode/PA)

Quote of the day

“Rachael is a brilliant rider on any horse and Honeysuckle is just a brilliant horse. The combination is deadly – it’s the perfect storm” – Henry de Bromhead on Rachael Blackmore and Honeysuckle after their Champion Hurdle success.

Performance of the day

Nico de Boinville and Shishkin clear the last to win the Arkle (Alan Crowhurst/PA)

Despite the much-anticipated clash with Energumene never materialising, Shishkin still managed to demonstrate his superiority in the division with a dominant success in the Arkle. The seven-year-old jumped immaculately from the off and was hardly stretched in maintaining his flawless record over fences, with his nearest rival, Colin Tizzard’s Eldorado Allen, 12 lengths behind.

Ride of the day

Rachael Blackmore celebrates after winning the Champion Hurdle (David Davies/PA)

Tasked with protecting Honeysuckle’s unbeatable reputation, Rachael Blackmore did not flinch under the pressure of piloting the 11-10 favourite and remained completely in control as she kept the mare on an untroubled path throughout the race. Asking her mount to soar clear of the other runners at precisely the right moment, Blackmore never gave Honeysuckle fans a flicker of a doubt as the pair made an 11th successive win look easy.

What’s next?

Paul Townend and Chacun Pour Soi are a formidable partnership (PA)

Wednesday’s action is headlined by the Queen Mother Champion Chase, with Chacun Pour Soi leading the field for the two-mile Grade One contest. He is set to take on reigning champion Politologue, with Dan Skelton’s Nube Negra and Kim Bailey’s First Flow others in the mix. Also on the card is the cross-country chase, where two-time winner Tiger Roll will attempt to retain his title after losing it to French raider Easysland last season. The concluding race is the Champion Bumper, where Willie Mullins saddles the undefeated Sir Gerhard and the highly-regarded Kilcruit.