Hardy Eustace held off a late charge by favorite Rooster Booster and won the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday, the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival. The 33-1 long shot, ridden by Irish jockey Conor O'Dwyer, won the two-mile hurdles race by five lengths over Rooster Booster, who won last year's race. Moscow Flyer heads the eight-horse field for Wednesday's Queen Mother Champion Chase. In Thursday's showpiece Gold Cup (Eng-I), Best Mate is bidding to become the first horse since Arkle in 1966 to win the race three straight years.
For the first time, part of the Cheltenham Festival will be simulcast to the U. S. On Thursday, five races from the festival will be shown in the U.S., with wagers being taken on those races at numerous racetracks, OTBs, and account wagering operations. Among the racetracks, OTBs and account wagering operators that will simulcast the Cheltenham card are: Aqueduct (NYRA), Fair Grounds, Philadelphia Park, Meadowlands, Suffolk Downs, New York City OTB, PhoneBet.com and affiliates, WinTicket.com and affiliates, XpressBet.com, and YouBet.com. TVG and HRTV will broadcast all races live as well as provide account wagering via their account wagering platforms.The simulcast program begins with the Gold Cup at 10:15 am (EST). The Cheltenham card continues with four additional races and runs through the lunch hour, concluding with the $115,000 Vincent O'Brien County Hurdle (Eng-III) at 12:45 pm. Advance betting will be open Wednesday afternoon at most outlets.
Hardy Eustace, right, goes over the last hurdle on his way to beating Rooster Booster, left, in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
