Cheltenham Festival 2015: Results, Winners, Payouts and More from Wednesday
The second day of the Cheltenham Festival saw Dodging Bullets reign supreme in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Dodging Bullets' win was a bright spot for the home contingent, as the Irish took the opening two races with Windsor Park and Don Poli.
Read on for a review of the second day's action from Prestbury Park.
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| Position | Horse | Price | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1st | Windsor Park | 9/2 | D Russell | D Weld |
| 2nd | Parlour Games | 13/2 | AP McCoy | J Ferguson |
| 3rd | Nichols Canyon | 7/2f | R Walsh | W Mullins |
| 10 Ran |
Ireland drew first blood for the second successive day, as Windsor Park produced a polished display to land the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle.
Dermot Weld’s charge had been beaten by better-fancied rivals Outlander and Nichols Canyon earlier in the season, but a change of tactics paid dividends.
Having been held up in his two most recent defeats, jockey Davy Russell jumped out and took up a prominent position from flagfall aboard Windsor Park.
A host of runners were in with a chance turning for home, with Outlander, Nichols Canyon, Vyta Du Roc and Parlour Games looking dangerous.
However, Russell always looked to be travelling best, and a fine leap at the final flight sealed the win.
"All credit to Dermot Weld and the team, what a performance," Russell told Channel 4. "He's a class horse and was spot-on for today. He jumped every hurdle well."
| Position | Horse | Price | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1st | Don Poli | 13/8f | B Cooper | W Mullins |
| 2nd | Southfield Theatre | 13/2 | S Twiston-Davies | P Nicholls |
| 3rd | Wounded Warrior | 12/1 | P Carberry | N Meade |
| 8 Ran |
Don Poli showed tremendous reserves of stamina to land the RSA Chase to hand master trainer Willie Mullins yet another winner.
"It was a terrific performance," Mullins told Channel 4. "He has idled and switched on and off and has a lot more reserves in the locker.
"He wasn't even racing up the home straight, he was just galloping. He's destroyed them and the only road that he can go for is the Gold Cup. Florida Pearl is the best RSA Chase winner I've had and this fellow looks as good as him."
Things did not go according to script for the 13-8 favourite, as he did not jump well and jockey Bryan Cooper was fading away down the back straight.
But what Don Poli possesses in abundance is stamina, and it came to the fore as things got tough in the final half-mile.
Southfield Theatre was travelling best of all, but he made one serious mistake when walking through the fourth last.
While Southfield Theatre lost momentum, Don Poli rolled down the hill and fended off the renewed challenge of Southfield Theatre to score with a bit in hand.
| Position | Horse | Price | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1st | Aux Ptits Soins | 9/1 | S Twiston-Davies | P Nicholls |
| 2nd | Zabana | 25/1 | R Colgan | A Lynch |
| 3rd | Activial | 17/2f | N Fehily | H Fry |
| 4th | Tagliatelle | 14/1 | Paul Carberry | G Elliott |
| 5th | Volnay De Thaix | 18/1 | Peter Carberry | N Henderson |
| 26 ran |
Aux Ptits Soins produced an amazing display to land the Coral Cup on his first start in England.
Collateral form from France suggested the five-year-old was well handicapped, and so it proved as he defied his lack of experience to score by a narrow margin under Sam Twiston-Davies.
Aux Ptits Soins travelled superbly well, surviving a serious mistake at the second, just in behind the pace and moved into contention at the second last.
Zabana, who had kept up with the pace throughout, rallied hard after the last, while Activial powered up the hill, but Aux Ptits Soins held on to hand champion trainer Paul Nicholls his first win of the meeting.
| Position | Horse | Price | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1st | Dodging Bullets | 9/2 | S Twiston-Davies | P Nicholls |
| 2nd | Somersby | 33/1 | B Hughes | M Channon |
| 3rd | Special Tiara | 18/1 | N Fehily | H De Bromhead |
| 9 Ran |
Dodging Bullets' rise through the two-mile ranks was capped off with a superb success in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
All the pre-race talk was about past winners Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy, but they were laboured throughout and could not land a blow.
At the business end, it was left to the younger legs of Dodging Bullets—bred by Frankie Dettori—who fought hard up the hill to hand Nicholls and Twiston-Davies a second win of the day.
"Paul Nicholls on Dodging Bullets: "He should have been favourite on form, he’s been progressive and it was a great ride from Sam."
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) March 11, 2015"
Special Tiara set off like a scalded cat, with his pace ensuring jumping and constitution was tested to the full.
Dodging Bullets tracked the pace and travelled supremely well. In contrast, Sire De Grugy jumped slovenly and was always a stride off the pace.
Sprinter Sacre travelled well in behind, but weakened swiftly once put under pressure and will surely be retired.
At the business end, old warrior Somersby travelled every bit as well as Dodging Bullets and the two joined issue with Special Tiara at the second last.
Jumping the final fence, Dodging Bullets had just taken his rivals’ measure and they powered up the hill to land the top prize in two-mile chasing.
| Position | Horse | Price | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1st | Rivage D'Or | 16/1 | D Russell | A Martin |
| 2nd | Any Currency | 7/1 | A Coleman | M Keighley |
| 3rd | Uncle Junior | 20/1 | P Mullins | W Mullins |
| 4th | Dogora | 20/1 | K Walsh | W Mullins |
| 16 ran |
Davy Russell produced the Tony-Martin trained Rivage D’Or with a superbly timed run to land the Glenfarclas Handicap Chase.
Rivage D’Or came from the back to take up the running at the last and stayed on well up the hill to thwart Any Currency, who was denied for a second year in a row.
There was drama at the second last as French raider Toutancarmont veered badly left and took himself and Quantitativeeasing out of the race.
| Position | Horse | Price | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1st | Qualando | 25/1 | N Scholfield | P Nicholls |
| 2nd | Bouvreuil | 14/1 | N Fehily | P Nicholls |
| 3rd | The Saint James | 33/1 | P Carberry | J O'Neill |
| 4th | Starchitect | 16/1 | W Renwick | D McCain |
| 22 Ran |
Qualando continued the brilliant day for the Nicholls camp by fending off his stablemate Bouvreuil to land the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.
Starchitect took the field along at a tremendous clip and was still in front turning for home, but he was swamped by Qualando and Bouvreuil jumping the final flight.
The two settled down up the hill to fight out the finish, and it was the Nick Scholfield-ridden Qualando who proved just the stronger.
| Position | Horse | Price | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1st | Moon Racer | 9/2f | T Scudamore | D Pipe |
| 2nd | Modus | 33/1 | T O'Brien | R Stephens |
| 3rd | Wait For Me | 9/1 | R Johnson | P Hobbs |
| 10 Ran |
Moon Racer extended his perfect record to three with a scintillating success in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper for trainer David Pipe and jockey Tom Scudamore.
It all turned out well for the 9/2 favourite, but it did not look good early on as Moon Racer missed the start and was well back.
Scudamore did not panic and allowed the race to develop in front of him.
Moon Racer made his move running down the hill and turned for home in fourth place.
Scudamore’s mount had momentum with him and powered to the front inside the final furlong and stayed on well for a ready success.
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