BY the time you read this, it will all be over. The “it” being the 2017 Cheltenham Festival, of course. But at the time of writing we are just halfway through, so this week’s Time Will Tell will concentrate on those first two days and leave the remainder for the following week. There is more than enough to keep us occupied, after all!

Much speculation, and no little betting, revolves around the state of the going for the start of the festival, with that going sometimes seeming to be quicker than suggested officially. There are no complaints this time, with “good to soft” meaning precisely that for day one.

It should be remembered that comparisons with times at past festivals need to take into account whether those times were taken from the leader passing the starter (the preferred method) or from when the tapes went up.

The latter would have added several seconds to times in some instances on the opening day and in the past.

By my reckoning, the Champion Hurdle was run in an overall time 1.7s quicker than the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, with Buveur D’Air (168) in the former carrying 3lb more than Labaik in the latter.

That makes for winning timefigures of 168 and 153 respectively, which are good and fairly good for the grade in turn.

Indeed, that timefigure for Buveur D’Air was the fastest to that point over hurdles this season, assisted by a pace that was mostly close to par but faster than it by a few lengths from after four out until the last.

Petit Mouchoir (164 timefigure going into this) was the one setting the pace, and he faded into third as the old stalwart My Tent Or Yours (161 timefigure in this) also went past him late on. There is a fair chance that Petit Mouchoir would have finished closer asked to do a bit less approaching the closing stages.

Buveur D’Air, meanwhile, looks a decent, but not superior, Champion Hurdler: he beat My Tent Or Yours here by the same margin that Annie Power had beaten him the year before. Yanworth, who had a 163 timefigure to his name going into this, was the only major disappointment. However, few are likely to argue that this is a golden age for two-mile hurdlers.

The slightly underwhelming time for the Supreme Novices’ was in part down to a steadying of the pace in that race after halfway: having been nearly level at the third, the novice race dropped 2.7s (more than a dozen lengths) behind the Champion Hurdle by two out before finishing a bit quicker than that race.

Labaik (153) clearly has plenty of ability, at least when he gets away on terms, but it is likely that runner-up Melon (150 timefigure) is a better prospect for the future, having had just one official run over hurdles prior to this.

Bunk Off Early was the biggest disappointment in the Supreme, but it is likely that Ballyandy (148 timefigure beforehand) underperformed somewhat in fourth also.