Golden Ace wins dramatic Champion Hurdle at 25-1
· BBC SportFrank Keogh
BBC Sport Senior Journalist
Golden Ace was a shock 25-1 winner of the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham after previous victors Constitution Hill and State Man fell.
The 2023 champion Constitution Hill was sent off odds-on favourite but came down early in the big race.
Last year's winner State Man looked set to claim victory before a dramatic fall at the last hurdle.
That left Golden Ace, ridden by Lorcan Williams for trainer Jeremy Scott, to come through and win by nine lengths from 66-1 outsider Burdett Road.
Both Constitution Hill and State Man galloped away unscathed from their falls.
"I'm lost for words. This is the best day of my life by far," said Williams who shrugged his shoulders after a first top-level Grade One win.
"You dream of these moments as a kid. I hope the others are OK - Constitution Hill and State Man are iconic horses."
Somerset-based Scott said: "It's marred by the two horses who came down, but I'm just delighted the gods favoured us."
The trainer had been persuaded to run in the feature race, rather than the Mares' Hurdle, by owner Ian Gosden.
Borrowing a line from Only Fools and Horses, Gosden said: "He who dares, wins, Rodney."
Constitution Hill, trained by Nicky Henderson, had recovered from a respiratory issue and suspected colic since his triumph two years ago to go into the race unbeaten from 10 starts.
He was sent off the 1-2 favourite and his fall at the fifth hurdle is estimated to have saved bookmakers a £10m payout.
"Nobody is hurt, they're two jockeys and two horses who've had proper old falls but they're all OK. That's the main thing," said Henderson.
State Man, the mount of Paul Townend for Willie Mullins, was well clear before his mistake at the final flight
Cheltenham's crowd on the opening day was 55,498 - a drop of nearly 5,000 on last year, with the cost of accommodation and attending the races cited as factors.
Lossiemouth cruises to victory
Lossiemouth retained her Mares' Hurdle crown in convincing style, and left many wondering how she might have fared in the Champion Hurdle.
The Mullins-trained grey, owned by Rich Ricci, was handed the easier challenge after falling in the Irish Champion Hurdle last time out.
And the 4-6 favourite cruised to victory under Townend by seven and a half lengths from stablemate Jade De Grugy for a third triumph at the Festival.
"She was very good. I was disappointed with the fact she didn't run in the Champion Hurdle, but her work with State Man last week wasn't Champion Hurdle work so the obvious thing was to come back," said Mullins.
"It's disappointing for everyone but you look at where you can get winners. Rich hasn't got a big team of runners so we have done the right thing for Rich."
'I'm walking on air' - Kopek Des Bordes seals emotional win
The meeting got off to the perfect start for favourite backers as Kopek Des Bordes also justified odds of 4-6 for Townend and Mullins, a victory greeted by hearty cries of 'Ole, Ole, Ole' from the stands.
It was an emotional success for owner Charlie McCarthy, who was diagnosed with kidney cancer at the start of this year and had surgery last month.
"I'm on cloud nine. I just can't get over it. I'm walking on air," said McCarthy.
There was a poignant runner-up in William Munny, running in the same yellow and blue silks of trainer-owner Barry Connell, who triumphed with Marine Nationale two years ago.
The contest was renamed the Michael O'Sullivan Supreme Novices' Hurdle in honour of the Irish jockey who won on Marine Nationale. The rider died last month aged 24 after a fall.
Mullins hoped to follow up his opening win in the Arkle Chase but a blunder at the penultimate fence from Majborough cost him the race.
Both L'Eau Du Sud and Only By Night looked like potential winners before Henderson's 5-1 chance Jango Baie stormed through with a late run under Nico de Boinville to snatch victory.
The winner had traded at odds of 300-1 in-running.
Scottish trainer Lucinda Russell won the Ultima Handicap Chase for the third time in four years as Patrick Wadge guided Myretown to an 11-length demolition with an exhibition round of jumping.
There was a victory for Wales as Ben Jones guided home the Rebecca Curtis-trained favourite Haiti Couleurs in the National Hunt Chase.
Puturhandstogether won the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle under Mark Walsh for trainer Joseph O'Brien and owner JP McManus.