Close but no cigar for Elliott on opening day at Cheltenham

Two seconds and two thirds for Summerhill man as Mullins scores treble

Longwood based trainer Gordon Elliott hit the post in both of the opening two races and in the Champion Hurdle on day one of the Cheltenham festival today.

Carlow handler Willie Mullins was expected to dominate the opening day of the long-awaited festival and he duly obliged winning three races, including the feature Champion Hurdle with 2/5 favourite Stateman.

However, Mullins' 11/4 favourite Tullyhill had to settle for eighth in the £135,000 opening Supreme Novices which was won by Racheal Blackmore on board Henry deBromhead's 7/2 shot Slade Steel.

Mullins' second fancied horse in the race Mystical Power was runner-up, just three and a half lengths clear of Elliott's Firefox which finished strongly in the colours of Noel and Valarie Moran in Bective Stud and under Jack Kennedy.

Elliott had to settle for another place in the second race on the card, the £175,000 Arkle, as Found A Fifty was eight and a half lengths second best to Mullins' hugely impressive winner Gaelic Warrior.

The Bective Stud owned Found A Fifty ran a fine race under Kennedy to claim second and deny Mullins a 1-2-3 with Il Etait Temps in third.

The British got on the board in the third race when Kim Bailey's Chianti Classico won the £125,000 Ultima. Elliott's 9/2 favourite The Goffer disappointed and finished over 30 lengths back in fifth in heavy going.

Elliott's other runners in the race Run Wild Fred, Minella Crooner and Gervey pulled up as did Gavin Cromwell's Stumptown under Keith Donoghue.

Statesman tookj the £465,750 big race on the card, the Champion Hurdle, in the absence of Constitution Hill and again Elliott had to settle for second as Irish Point ran a great race to finish just a length and a half back.

Summerhill trainer Lorna Fowler saddled Colonel Mustard to fifth under JJ Slevin.

Mullins also won the Mares Hurdle with Lossiemouth as the 8/13 favourite quicken after the last yto score an easy three length win ahead of deBromhead and Blackmore's Telmesomethinggirl.

Elliott registered a second third place finish in the Boodles when Ndaawi ran a fine race at odds of 12/1 to finish just over two lengths behind winner Lark In The Mornin and Eagles Reign in second.

Jessica Harrington's Pigeon House was ninth under Keith Donoghue with Elliott's Mordor brought down early in the contest.

The Mullins domination continued in the last race as Willie Mullins' nephew Emmet saddled Corbetts Cross to victory in the Maureen Mullins Challenge Cup. Willie had to settle for second with 7/4 favourite Embassy Gardens in the race named after his mother.

Elliott's only runner in the race Salvador Ziggy pulled up before two out and a long way out of contention.