Tully East was an 8/1 winner of the Close Brothers Novices' Handicap Chase on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Trained in Co Kildare by Alan Fleming, Tully East was produced with a well-timed challenge by Denis O'Regan and galloped all the way to the line to beat Gold Present into second.

Two Taffs was third and Powersbomb was fourth.

Fleming said after an incident-packed event: "It is absolutely super, I am so thrilled. I can't tell you how thrilling it is. Denis O'Regan was cool and crisp and is some man to have on the big day.

"It is like an obstacle course out there, but Denis is very clever and was astute to what was going on around him.

"The horse has a lot of a ability. If he gets a clear run he will be very good. I'm not sure how far he will go. I was impressed with the way he jumped today, he was very clever.

"I'm sure he will go to either Fairyhouse or Punchestown. I would love to run him in a graded race before the end of the season."

He added: "We've had an up-and-down season and there is no point talking rubbish. We've had a stop-start season and this makes up for it a bit."

O'REGAN'S RETURN

O'Regan rode Tidal Bay to win the Arkle Chase and Inglis Drever to win the Stayers' Hurdle in 2008, and took the 2012 Pertemps Final on Cape Tribulation. He moved back to Ireland to take up a retainer with owner Barry Connell last summer.

O'Regan said: "I'm just so pleased that the horse won. He's a class horse and has been giving me that feel all year, and he has just run into a couple of good horses on the way. I was hopeful without being over-confident; we need so much luck here. He jumped, he travelled, and we had luck in the race with horses falling in front of us.

"I can't tell you how much I appreciate being back in this winner's enclosure, because it is so hard to get on these horses. I'll be forever grateful to Barry Connell and his family and to Alan Fleming for giving me the opportunity to ride this horse and other good horses. And the week is only starting, but whatever happens now we can look forward to the rest of it.

"I've never enjoyed a job as much as this one. I'm at that stage where I've got a lot of experience and I can handle things an awful lot better. We work well together as a team. It's great for Alan to have a Cheltenham winner - there's no better man to do the job when he's got the right ammunition, and hopefully we can build on this and maybe finish the season with a flurry."