Rest of yesterday's report: Yet again Ireland's Cheltenham challenge got off to the perfect start as the heavily backed favourite Brave Inca won out in a thrilling Supreme Novices' Hurdle finish.
Only a neck seperated Brave Inca from the runner-up War Of Attrition (Conor O'Dwyer) but that neck was the most valuable in the careers of jockey Barry Cash and trainer Colm Murphy.
Both 29, both had never tasted Cheltenham success before with Cash's only previous festival ride finishing last and Murphy's three-year training career never having the glorious headache of preparing a top Cheltenham hope. But both men took to success like ducks to water.
Cash punched the air with delight and Murphy was carried shoulder high into the winner's enclosure. However, it didn't take long for the cool temperment that allowed Murphy qualify as an accountant to become apparent.
"We were thinking about the SunAlliance all along as the ground was drying out but we just felt this might be the weaker race," he said.
"I have dreamt how it would feel to win this race and it's even better than I imagined. He will be a horse who will get further in time, but as you saw he has got serious pace and we weren't worried about two miles, even though he would prefer cut in the ground.
"I don't know what the plans are now. Aintree might be a possibility. We'll take him home and recover from this first."
Cash, who was also getting off the mark at the Festival, added: "He made a mistake at the second-last but he was tough and so brave. That is only my second ever ride at the Festival and on my first I came last. It's hard to describe what I am feeling right now, but I wouldn't mind doing it again.
"It was a super training performance. Colm is a young man who will be back here many times."
Trainer Mouse Morris believes there is better to come from War Of Attrition. He said: "That was fantastic. He is a chaser really, so that is terrific. He's a nice horse to look forward to next season. That's it for this season."
The race was not all plain sailing for O'Dwyer, however, as he was banned for three days (March 27th-29th) for hitting his mount in the wrong place.
William Hill go 20 to 1 about the winner for next year's Smurfit Champion Hurdle, while Ladbrokes go 16s.
Brave Inca is the first horse owned by the seven-member Novices Syndicate, made up of seven members from Goatstown in Dublin, and it was a second Grade One win in a row for Cash's mount. It was also a fourth successive victory in the race for the Irish.
The big English hope Albuhera could only manage 10th and Ruby Walsh's day didn't improve as the favourite for the Arkle Chase, Thisthatantother, only got as far as the second before falling.
Kicking King made a mistake at the first ditch but survived and briefly looked a winner down the hill until Tony McCoy arrived on the scene with Well Chief.
Only a mistake at the last from the Pipe horse allowed Kicking King another chance but he went down by a length. "The winner would have won further but for the last," said a realistic Tom Taaffe.
"He is what an Arkle horse should be wheras we know our horse will stay. We were outpaced. He will go for the Power Gold Cup at Fairyhouse, then grass, and then maybe we'll think Gold Cup next year."
Taaffe then added: "I spoke to Martin Pipe the other day and he said Therealbandit and Our Vic were his only chances this year!"
For much of the last mile of the Pertemps Final it looked like GVA Ireland was going to put the finishing touches to a successful first day for the visitors but in the shadow of the post Francis Flood's horse had to give best to the 50 to 1 outsider Creon.
If that was cruel then Maximize's 40 to 1 success in the Kim Muir will have hit punters almost as hard as it did followers of the runner up Merchants Friend.
He was clear from a mile out and looked all over the winner until the Pipe-trained Maximize seemed to swop from the clouds to do him right on the line.
It completed a double for owner David Johnson and indicated that Pipe may not be the closest of friends with Tom Taaffe!
