THE highlight of the first two days of the National Hunt Festival at Cheltenham as far as Northern racegoers were concerned was the victory of Fiona McStay’s homebred Glens Melody in Tuesday’s OLBG Mares’ Hurdle (Grade 1).

True, the Paul Townend-partnered seven-year-old looked booked for second place when her Willie Mullins-trained stable-companion, Annie Power, fell at the final flight. But, the hurdles are there to be jumped and the King’s Theatre bay had to show great resolve to hold off the Barry Geraghty-ridden Polly Peachum by a head.