Summary

  • Going: Good, Good to Soft in places

  • Sire de Grugy (11-4 F) wins Queen Mother Champion Chase

  • Victories for Faugheen (6-4 F), O'Faolains Boy (12-1) & Whisper (14-1)

  • Balthazar King (4-1), Hawk High (33-1) & Silver Concorde (16-1) also win

  • Akdam is the second horse death of the Festival

Live Reporting

Mike Henson

  1. Result

    1. Sire De Grugy J E Moore 11-4 Fav

    2. Somersby D Elsworth 14-1

    3. Module P J Brennan 20-1

    4. Sizing Europe A E Lynch

  2. Winner

    Sire De Grugy wins the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

  3. Sizing Europe , Sire De Gugy and Somersby to contest it.

  4. Baily Green falls and Hinterland unseats his jockey and we are down to eight runners. Somersby is out in front as it stands.

  5. Captain Conan pulls up! He never looked comfortable. That opens things up.

  6. Special Tiara and Somersby make the early running with Arvika Ligeonniere for company.

  7. We are away.

  8. Sizing Europe has considerable Cheltenham pedigree, winning the Arkle in 2010 and this race in 2011. Two second places followed in 2012 and 2013. A good bet for a place at least.

  9. Arvika Ligeonniere has four Grade One wins to his name, but has a distinctly patchy record on left-handed courses including two defeats at previous Festivals. It could go one of two ways, but the Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh combination will attract backing.

  10. Cornelius Lysaght
    BBC horse racing correspondent at Cheltenham

    Champion Chase favourite has plenty of support from owners:

    Sire De Grugy owners

  11. Captain Conan triumphed over Sire De Grugy over course and distance last season and trainer Nicky Henderson has brought Finian's Rainbow and Sprinter Sacre to the boil perfectly for the last two stagings of the race.

  12. Sire De Grugy took advantage of Sprinter Sacre pulling up to win the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton in December and has since plundered the Clarence House Chase at Ascot. Likely to head off as favourite, but has lost on two previous trips to Cheltenham. Connections insist that he has no issues with the course but doubts remain.

  13. That is enough of the trailers. As they say at the movies, your feature presentation follows shortly.

  14. Get Involved - #bbcracing

    Carla Giannico: "My horse literally beaten by a whisper! Unlucky 'get me out of here'"

  15. Celeb Spot!

    Autumn PhilipsPA

    It seems the whole Phillips clan has descended on Cheltenham today. With Zara and her mother Princess Anne already in the stands, Autumn, wife of Peter, is out catching the action.

    The internet informs me that she appeared in the 1996 Bob Hoskins' film Rainbow as a girl gang member. Which sounds amazing.

  16. Frank Keogh
    BBC Sport at Cheltenham

    "Get Me Out Of Here: 2nd 2010 Supreme Novices (head), 2nd 2011 County Hurdle (nose), 2nd 2012 Coral Cup (3.5l), 2nd 2014 Coral (Short hd)."

  17. A terrific scene with a rainbow blast of different coloured silks all in the frame as they came to the finishing post. Get Me Out Of Here's connections must feel like they are destined to always be the Cheltenham bridesmaid. That is their fourth second-placed finish at the Festival.

    Whisper and Get Me Out Of HereGetty Images

  18. BBC Radio 5 live

    Whisper's jockey Nico de Boinvelle tells BBC Radio 5 live: "I'm over the moon, there's no better feeling. I had to look at my number at the end, I didn't have a clue."

  19. BBC Radio 5 live

    Whisper's trainer Nicky Henderson: "They all ran great yesterday and haven't been bad all week. I think that's a hundred [winners this year]. That was very tight.

    "We're hopeful for Captain Conan next."

  20. Result

    Whisper wins the Coral CupPA

    1. Whisper Nico de Boinville 14-1

    2. Get Me Out Of Here A P McCoy 12-1

    3. Bayan D J Condon 11-1

    4. Smashing A E Lynch 25-1