Cheltenham Festival 2023 LIVE Results: Horse Racing Updates, Breaking News, Odds, Day One Betting Tips

Preview: Sky Bet Supreme Novice Hurdle

The festival kicks off with the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle (1.30), for whom the picture turned rather murky at the Dublin Racing Festival, where they were previously unbeaten Simple Vegas bombed out behind stablemate Il Etait Temps.

Willie Mullin’s criticism of Paul Townend’s ride came somewhat out of the blue, but it’s no surprise that Townend remains loyal to Quevega’s son.

He can’t be a confident pick but if Facile Vega comes back he should have enough class. Marine Nationale remain undefeated but would probably have preferred better ground.

Look forward to a lot!

A reminder of this afternoon’s card – it promises to be a memorable first day of the festival.

1.30am: Sky Bet Supreme Novices Hurdle

2.10: Arkle Pursuit

2.50am: Ultima Handicap Pursuit

3:30 a.m.: Champion hurdle

4.10: Mare hurdle

4.50am: The Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle Race

5:30 a.m. National Hunting Hunt

All good at the Henderson camp!

Blackmore hopes for a perfect start

Rachael Blackmore is driving inthepocket in the first race this afternoon, currently a 7/1 shot and she is confident the conditions will suit him.

“The rain and changing terrain mean Inthepocket is now heading to the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle,” she said bet fair.

“He’s a very nice horse, he held up well to win a class 2 beginner hurdles at Naas just before Christmas when skipping the last two hurdles probably didn’t help him and he’s run a solid race the Grade 1 Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle at the Dublin Racing Festival finished second to Il Etait Temps last time.

“He’s a horse with a bright future and hopefully he can run well here and start the week well.”

Mullins: It’s a relief when we get a winner

Ten winners again? Even more?

Willie Mullins has been relatively reticent leading up to the festival, insisting he wasn’t thinking of matching last year’s winning number when he hit double numbers.

“It’s a relief to win at Cheltenham,” he said. “We’re not aiming to hit 10, we’re aiming to get on the board when we can and then hopefully win some of the right ones.

“Someone said to me the other day we have 10-14 favorites and I always reckon only half the favorites win so that’s not a bad number and if we get close it’s going to be great.

“People expect us to have winners at Cheltenham but we go there hoping rather than expecting and it’s a relief when we get a winner and hopefully one or two more.”

Familiar faces arrive…

Emotional farewell for Honeysuckle?

This afternoon is Honeysuckle’s last race and Rachael Blackmore is desperate to get a climax.

“There’s not much more I can say about Honeysuckle that I haven’t said before,” Blackmore told Betfair.

“She’s an incredible mare, she’s been incredible for my career. She achieved all of that and I was lucky enough to ride her.

“As has been announced, this will be her last race, I will not look back. We can look back when it’s over. She gave us all the great days she could have given us so far, the crowd was brilliant and I would love her if she had another great day.”

McCoy: Stick rules make the sport embarrassing

Retirement hasn’t always been easy for AP McCoy. At his first Cheltenham Festivals he struggled with the idea of ​​not riding the horses he had once ridden to famous victories.

With these horses all having made their way into retirement, life after the race has become easier to bear, so he’s not sure if he were still riding he would even be attending this week’s festival.

Angry and embarrassed, McCoy is turning his venom on Britain’s Horse Racing Authority over its new whip rules, which he fears will become the headline of this week’s races.

“I feel so lucky not to be a jockey anymore,” he said. “Maybe I live on another planet now after I retire, I probably do, I’m just a frigging ex-jockey.

“I have to be careful not to sound like someone all jockeys should listen to, but why would you show up? If none of them go, it’s not great, is it?”

Read our full exclusive interview with McCoy here

Early look at some opportunities…

As mentioned, Facile Vega is the favorite for this afternoon’s opening race but has a few questions to answer.

Il Etait Temps edged out his stablemate in Leopardstown last time out, so he’ll have plenty of supporters here.

Corridor of the Chief Novices:

Simple Vega 15/8

Marine Nationale 4/1

II Etait Temps 9/2

In the pocket 8/1

Tahmuras 1.11

Deviate 16/1

High definition 20/1

odds over bet fair. Subject to change.

Mullin’s monopoly a safe bet

It was almost fitting that Willie Mullins celebrated the 4,000th birthday on Cheltenham Trials Day in January. brought up the winner of his training career, ‘almost’ because although the breakthrough hit arrived that same afternoon, it actually came at Fairyhouse on the other side of the Irish Sea.

Any complaint would be futile, however, as Mullins has enjoyed more than his fair share of that Prestbury Park haul, 88 of them at the festival itself, more than any other coach in history.

With the first jump race meeting starting this afternoon, it’s usually around this time that contenders for the title of top trainer would be weighed, but it really doesn’t seem to make much sense. Mullins has won the award at eight of the last 10 festivals, including each of the last four, setting a new record of 10 winners over the four days in 2022.

Needless to say, it’s the opposite of a worker’s price to top the chart again, and just a tad bigger than even money to get back into double digits.

Read Malik Ouzia’s full preview here