GOLDEN GIRL

Dramatic opening day sees an Ace outcome for Scott and Williams

-  BY BRIAN FLANAGAN

A DECADE on from Annie Power's infamous Cheltenham Festival fall, incredibly it happened again.

Not just once, but twice, in a Champion Hurdle overtaken by some sort of madness.

Has this Festival ever witnessed so much drama in one race? It didn't feel real.

With odds-on favourite Constitution Hill having crashed out on the back straight and Brighterdaysahead weary in defeat, all defending champion State Man and Paul Townend had to do was jump the last and victory was theirs.

But on the same opening day, at the same time, at the same final flight, he did his best Annie Power impression, took off too soon and tumbled to the ground, leaving a fuming Townend punching the surface in horror.

And who was there to pick up the pieces from the carnage? Little old Golden Ace, the Jeremy Scott-trained mare who had done the opposite to Lossiemouth and gone for Champion Hurdle glory instead of running in the 'easier' Mares' race 40 minutes earlier.

'He who dares wins', as Del Boy might say.

The bookmakers, having dodged a bullet with Majborough earlier in the Arkle, left with smiles as bright as the spring sunshine over Cleeve Hill in the aftermath.

Golden Ace will go down in the record books as the 25-1 winner of the 2025 Champion Hurdle but that won't tell half the story.

So much happened in the 3m56secs it took to run yesterday's feature that it's hard to know where to begin.