Paddy Power Day!

What a great first day of the Open meeting!  It was very much a case of so near, so far yesterday at Cheltenham as all of our runners ran well without coming home in front.  Swing Bill ran a cracker to finish second in the amateur riders' handicap chase behind a back to form Rustarix.  I thought he might win two out, but nonetheless it was a good effort trying to concede 12lbs to the winner under Sam Waley-Cohen who is aboard big race favourite Long Run in today's Paddy Power Gold Cup.

What a run too from Dynaste who finished second behind a Henderson hotpot Aegean Dawn in the conditional jockey's handicap hurdle.  The Henderson team think a lot of their winner and he was backed accordingly, the first two came seventeen lengths clear of the third - I just hate to think what the handicapper might do.  Even so, Dynaste is still a novice over hurdles and looks sure to be winning before too long - he was a very good buy from the French sales, and again illustrates David's ability to pick up the right horse for the right money.

Mr Thriller took an unlucky fall at the second last in the novices' chase.  Tom Scu looked to be a little sore as he walked away - I think he would have probably finished second if he had stood up, but with the winner being a 166 rated hurdler, it was probably a good first effort over fences.

The star of yesterday's show though had to be Cue Card who absolutely hacked up in the Grade 2 novices' hurdle.  He is clearly well above average and looks to be more than capable of winning one of the races open to novices at the Festival in March.  I am still not 100% convinced about the Champion Hurdle, but even so he looks to be some prospect and I bet Colin Tizzaard wishes that the Festival was in a fortnight!