Cheltenham Festival 2017 - as it happened: Tips, races and results from Champion Hurdle day

Re-live all the action from day one at the Cheltenham Festival

Cheltenham Festival 2017 (Getty)

The Cheltenham Festival has finally arrived with four days of action-packed racing to get stuck into, culminating in the eagerly-anticipated Gold Cup.

• Who to back, which horse to avoid and the jockeys to look out for?
• Despite high-profile absentees anticipation for this year's festival is at fever pitch
• Gold Cup favourite Thistlecrack ruled out with 'slight tendon tear'

Follow all the live action from today's races and stay tuned as we bring you the latest tips and odds.

Please allow a moment for the blog to load.

Tuesday - Champion Day:

1.30 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

2.10 Racing Post Arkle Steeple Chase

2.50 Baylis & Harding Handicap Chase

The Willie Mullins string make their way onto the gallops (Getty)

3.30 Stan James Champion Hurdle

4.10 Mares’ Hurdle

4.50 National Hunt Chase

5.30 Close Brothers H’cap Chase

Our big-race predictions:

Day One

Champion Hurdle – Brain Power

The forecast good ground will see this progressive horse make the most of a weak renewal.

Day Two

RSA Chase – Whisper

With reasons to swerve those at the front of the market, this chaser’s Cheltenham record will serve as invaluable experience.

The main stand at Cheltenham (Getty)

Day Three

JLT Novices’ Chase – Disko

This grey can pile on the pressure from the front, and jump his rivals into submission.

Day Four

Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup - Cue Card

Heart over head for what would surely be the perfect end to a brilliant career.

[14 March 2017 10:57 · Samuel Lovett]

Good morning and welcome to day one of the 2017 Cheltenham Festival! 

There's plenty to get stuck into today with seven races on the cards though the Champion Hurdle, at 3.30pm, is what all punters will be eagerly looking forward to as favourites Yanworth, Brain Power and Petit Mouchoir all go head-to-head.

Stay tuned as we bring you the latest news and tips from this afternoon's races. We should be in for quite the day!

[14 March 2017 12:59 · Charles Reynolds]

Half an hour to go before the first race today at Cheltenham – where earlier an AP McCoy statue was unveiled...

[14 March 2017 13:02 · Charles Reynolds]

[14 March 2017 13:16 · Charles Reynolds]

15 minutes until our first race of the day – the Novices' Hurdle – looking at the moment like being a two-way tussle between Ruby Walsh, fresh from social media stunts this week, riding Melon and Ballyandy ridden by Sam Twiston-Davies.

[14 March 2017 13:18 · Charles Reynolds]

The going is good to soft today

[14 March 2017 13:19 · Charles Reynolds]

Willie Mullins, whose horse Melon goes out as favourite, has 4 winners in the past 10 runnings.

[14 March 2017 13:26 · Charles Reynolds]

Five minutes to go until the first race, some serious picnics have no doubt already been devoured 

[14 March 2017 13:29 · Charles Reynolds]

Melon reportedly looking a bit hot and sweaty in the paddock and Ballyandy is now joint favourite for the Novices' Hurdle – it's a clash between England and Ireland with the Walsh/Mullins combo of Melon against the Twiston-Davies' Ballyandy. Not long to go now...

[14 March 2017 13:32 · Charles Reynolds]

Horses out on the track now. And they're off!

[14 March 2017 13:36 · Charles Reynolds]

Labaik wins the Novices' Hurdle! 

Ruby Walsh on the joint-favourite Melon comes second