Golden Ace wins most dramatic Champion Hurdle in living memory

Amid falling crowds, increasing numbers of odds-on shots and a relentless stream of winners from the Willie Mullins yard, it has been a popular theory in recent years that the Cheltenham festival was becoming a little too … predictable. But it was debunked in the space of four chaotic minutes of extraordinary drama on Tuesday.Jeremy Scott’s mare Golden Ace, at 25-1, emerged as one of the most unexpected of all Champion Hurdle winners, at the end of a race in which both Constitution Hill and State Man – the champions in 2023 and 2024 respectively – were fallers.A much-anticipated renewal of hurdling’s championship event, with Constitution Hill’s 10-race unbeaten record on the line as he attempted to seize back his crown, followed a predictable script to the fifth flight, with Constitution Hill, the odds-on favourite, settled in third behind his main market rival, Brighterdaysahead. But his proud, perfect record was gone in an instant a few seconds later, as the favourite clipped the top of the hurdle and tipped over

Cheltenham festival: Golden Ace claims shock Champion Hurdle – as it happened

Time to sign off; I’ll leave you with Sean Ingle’s view from Cheltenham on day one. Thanks for joining me, and see you again tomorrow.1.20 Kopek Des Bordes (P Townend, W Mullins) 4-6F 2.00 Jango Baie (N de Boinville, N Henderson) 5-12

Chessum claims hostility from fans will ‘rev up’ England for Wales showdown

England are braced for a “hostile” welcome on and off the field in ­Cardiff when they head across the Severn Bridge for the final Six Nations instalment this weekend. The lock Ollie Chessum has not forgotten some of the abuse directed at England’s ­players by Welsh fans two years ago and he suggests it will “rev up” the visitors for the game at the Principality Stadium on Saturday.Chessum, who was named player of the match after his side’s seven‑try win against Italy on ­Sunday, says ­England are determined to finish their campaign on a high note and are fully prepared for the “special” reception they receive before Six Nations games in Cardiff, most recently in 2023.“We were there for two days prior to the game and everywhere the bus goes abuse seems to follow,” said ­Chessum, who is now back fit and firing after an injury-hit year.“On the day of the game that last half-mile stretch [to the stadium] is just packed with fans

New-look Cheltenham festival delivers day of drama for smaller audience

Once the gasps had subsided following a Champion Hurdle that upended every script and expectation, a most unlikely serenade began. “Oh, Jeremy Scott!” the Cheltenham crowd sang, the voices getting louder and meatier with every refrain. “Oh, Jeremy Scott!”Scott, the trainer of the shock 25‑1 winner Golden Ace, smiled at the absurdity of it all, before finding the perfect response from Only Fools And Horses. “As Del Boy says: ‘Who dares wins, Rodney.’”Who dares wins indeed

PGA Tour could name and shame slow-play offenders after player unrest

The PGA Tour may be unable to conclude a deal to unify professional golf but there is, finally, progress on another key issue for spectators: slow play. Speaking ahead of the Players Championship, the Tour’s commissioner, Jay Monahan, revealed the imminent arrival of new sanctions which could include the naming and shaming of offenders.The two-time major champion Collin Morikawa had already made clear that the PGA Tour’s current pace of play policies – which only occasionally sees golfers fined – are unfit for purpose. “I think you just have to start stroking guys and giving guys actual penalties, whether it be strokes or FedExCup [points],” Morikawa said. “What I’ve learned is that monetary fines are useless

Dick McTaggart obituary

When the Scottish boxer Dick McTaggart flew back from the 1956 Olympic Games in Australia, where he had won the gold medal in the lightweight division, nothing could have prepared him for the hero’s welcome he was given after travelling by train back to his home in Dundee. He was lifted on to the platform by two fellow boxers and carried out of the station, where he was besieged by hordes of well-wishers before being borne in an open-topped vehicle to his tenement home in the tough Dens Road area of the city, with fans lining the two-mile route.McTaggart, who has died aged 89, remembered it all clearly in old age, even after dementia had begun to dim his recall of more recent events. “It was fantastic. Tears were running down my face,” he said