THE opening Tuesday of the Cheltenham Festival is not designated as Ladies Day, but on day one in 2020, it was the females who took the greatest share of the honours and earned highest praise.

We have a new Champion Hurdler in the six-year-old mare Epatante, an eighth win in the race for Nicky Henderson and a ninth for owner J.P McManus. It was also a fourth for Barry Geraghty.

Epatante ran out a worthy and indeed pretty impressive winner of the Champion Hurdle, and all connections of the first four home must have been pleased with their efforts.

The times indicated the ground was on the heavy side, yet horses who should prefer better ground like Sharjah and Darver Star, ran every bit as well as could be expected.

Patrick Mullins got a great tune from the back out of Sharjah, and Darver Star, coming so far from a Wexford winning novice hurdle a year ago, jumped impeccably for Jonathan Moore in an always prominent position and stayed on all the way to the line.

Sub-standard?

However, looking through the field, it had a sub-standard look to it and the winner apart, it’s hard to see any of those who finished behind her, from the very disappointing five-year-olds, Pentland Hills and Coeur Sublime, to the honourable 10-year-old Supasundae, turning up next year again.

And with Supreme winner Shishkin likely to go over fences, we badly need something to come from the Triumph on Friday to beef up the senior hurdling division for next season.

Henry de Bromhead took the Arkle, ending a long gap back to the last mare to win it, Anaglogs Daughter 30 years ago.

The Leopardstown one/two Notebook and Cash Back were disappointments and it was the five-year-old Fakir D’Oudaires who chased Put The Kettle On home, recovering after a second last fence error. On ITV, Ruby Walsh highlighted Aidan Coleman’s decisive move after three out when he moved ahead and took the pole position on the mare, leaving Mark Walsh to challenge on her outside at the second last where he got too close and lost a length.

The opening Supreme Novices may well turn out the best race of the day – Shishkin just got the nod over Abacadabras who had looked all over the winner when travelling very well off the bend.

Shishkin, a son of Sholokov, is from a lovely NH family, that of Voler La Vedette and looks every inch a chaser. It’s hard not to see him as Arkle favourite for next year, through the winter.

Honeysuckle probably got the best reception of the day when holding off the favourite Benie Des Dieux in the Mares Hurdle, horse and rider so well matched in their determination to win. It’s doubtful if either mare would have had the speed to deal with Epatante had they run in the Champion Hurdle.

There were wins for the bigger owners but some ‘smaller’ syndicates had a day of glory too. What struck you in the end was that every race here matters. Yes, Henderson and De Bromhead were gracious and appreciative of the congratulations in post-race interviews. They’ve been lucky to have won Grade 1s here before. Henderson is on 66 wins, the most of any trainer.

But it was the emotion under the surface, coming from every race, that showed you how much it means to have a winner. Brendan Powell, David Bridgewater, Kim Bailey, even Gordon Elliott had a touch of it in the relief of getting the final winner, allied as so often with Jamie Codd’s pleasure.

“Wonderful to get here, wonderful to win,” was a pretty good summary from Mary Dermody, Put The Kettle On’s owner

It was not quite the best of days for three of our top Irish jockeys. Mark Walsh, Davy Russell and Paul Townend.

Walsh got brought down when travelling well on Elixir D’Ainay by the wayward Asterion Forlonge in the Supreme and a second last fence error on Fakir D’oudaries may have cost him the Arkle.

It was particularly frustrating for Russell who was in front far too soon on the strong travelling Abacadabras after the departures at the second last in the Supreme,Coeur Sublime was a big disappointment in the Champion, and then he didn’t get the strongest response when Galvin was asked for his effort in the novices handicap.

Townend will need to recompose for tomorrow after a disappointing day for Willie Mullins and defeats on two favourites. The ability of Ruby Walsh to shrug off such bad days and appear more determined the next day was a huge asset and Townend has a big ride on Chacun Pour Soi in the Champion Chase to get back on track.

The starts were again a source of annoyance with a few false ones including the Champion Hurdle but, while the starter appeared slow to release the fields, jockeys did not seem to take on board that if you trot in, in such a tense atmosphere, it is very likely that one horse will break into a canter and set the whole thing off. They should have made a better attempt to approach the tape slowly.

The creation of the Mares Hurdle and its graduation into a Grade 1 (along with similar here in Fairyhouse and Punchestown) has played a huge part in giving us the opportunity to see a race like we had on Tuesday. It was the right race for Honeysuckle and Benie Des Dieux.

However, taking a look at the number of mares who are competing at the Festival over fences (excluding novices), it’s hard to see the justification in putting a mares’ Grade 2 chase on the card. Only La Bague Au Roi, Shattered Love, Happy Diva and Cabaret Queen are mares entered over fences.

Put The Kettle On fared very well with the mares allowance in the Arkle, as of course did Epatante over hurdles in the Champion. Surely if Honeysuckle goes over fences next year, the Arkle or Marsh Novices is the race for her?

With the ground soft to heavy, many beaten runners finished tired and in the light of only six of the 14 runners completing the course with the second placed Lord Du Mesnil treated for heat stress, the decision to reduce the 'four miler' by two furlongs was the right one.

Quote of the day: “Paul Townend should have shoved Robert Power in and closed the door on Honeysuckle there, and made her come back around. Instead Rachael Blackmore gets a dream run through. That’s a saving of two lengths and she only wins by one. Worry about it afterwards, but close the doors. It’s all about tactics.”

Ruby Walsh on ITV took no prisoners – even among those from his own former stable.

Quote 2: “It looked like he [Robert Power] just gifted the winner a huge gap while Paul was going on the outside. Things happen. We won't want to watch it again." Willie Mullins on the same incident on Racing TV.

Numbers of the day

Top trainers: Henderson 2; De Bromhead 2

Willie Mullins: 10 runners, 3 beaten favourites, no winners

Britain: 4 wins Ireland: 3 wins

Irish bred winners: 5 from 7

Irish-bought: 5 from 7

Irish sired: 5 from 7

Sires stakes: Stallion honours with two winners and a third in the Champion Hurdle for Broadsmill’s Kalanisi

Longest priced winner: Put The Kettle On 16/1

Shortest priced bt fav: Benie Des Dieux 4/6 (2nd Mares); Carefully Selected 10/11 fav (UR NH Chase)