Honeysuckle's Champion Hurdle win watched by 1.5m on ITV Racing on record day

Your one-stop shop for Cheltenham Festival news on Wednesday morning

You have been watching: record figures for ITV's Cheltenham coverage

A record average audience of 1.1 million people watched day one of the Cheltenham Festival on ITV with 1.5 million viewing Rachael Blackmore's historic Champion Hurdle success on Honeysuckle.

With the festival taking place behind closed doors with no spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic, racing fans are watching the meeting this year from home with ITV's figures backing up a trend of increased viewing figures through the past few months.

The average audience was up 12 per cent (from 953,000) compared to last year, with the 1.1m figure the highest since records began in 2003. The peak audience was up seven per cent from 1.4m last year.

Six of the seven Cheltenham Festival races are being broadcast on ITV Racing this year instead of the normal five.

Posted at 11.30am

Market movers: Henderson runners shorten for Coral Cup

Craigneiche has taken over as favourite for the Coral Cup, a race his trainer Nicky Henderson has won four times and has four runners in this year.

Craigneiche has been shortened to 7-1 favourite (from 8) as Grand Roi has eased to 8-1 (from 6). Henderson's Birchdale has also been clipped to 12-1 (from 14) for the same contest.

Cheltenham Festival Wednesday: day two cards and betting

Assessing Henderson's runners, the Racing Post's Lambourn correspondent James Burn said: "With four runners, Nicky Henderson isn't messing about when it comes to the Coral Cup, which he has won a record four times and he has major claims again. I've napped the imposing future chaser Monte Cristo, who won so comfortably at Kempton over Christmas.

"However, Craigneiche has a similar profile and it is easy to see why he's captured the imagination despite a 12lb rise – a hike that might have had Henderson spitting out his porridge.

"The champion trainer, meanwhile, has always spoken highly and fondly of stable jockey Nico de Boinville's mount Birchdale, so that means Janika will probably win!"

Gaillard Du Mesnil is also a key mover on day two, being cut to 7-4 (from 9-4) for the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle, with victory potentially setting up trainer Willie Mullins for a strong day.

Simon Clare, Ladbrokes Coral PR director, wrote on Twitter: "Gaillard Du Mesnil wants his favourite title back for the Ballymore off Bob Olinger. Now into 7-4 from 9-4, while Bob Olinger is out to 13-8. Only a matter of time."

His owners Joe and Marie Donnelly are already on the board at this year’s festival after Shishkin's Arkle romp and donated £10,000 of their winnings to childrens' charity WellChild, the official partner of Cheltenham this week. The Masterson family, owners of Supreme Novices' Hurdle winner Appreciate It, have done the same, according to Mullins.

Monkfish (1-3) is solid at the head of the market for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, while Chacun Pour Soi is 4-5 favourite for the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Barry Orr, head of racing PR at Betfair, said: "The Willie Mullins juggernaut rolls on with Monkfish and Chacun Pour Soi in the feature, the Champion Chase, both short-priced favourites and being doubled up by punters at combined odds of 11-8 against."

Mullins appears to have a stranglehold on the Weatherbys Champion Bumper too, with the two market leaders and two of his other three runners supported in the market.

Favourite Kilcruit heads the market at 6-4 (from 13-8), while Ramilles is 12-1 (from 16) and Grangee 20-1 (from 22). The only mildly uneasy one of Mullins' runners is Sir Gerhard, who is 2-1 (from 7-4) to give owners Cheveley Park Stud a third success in the race.

Day two market movers

1.20: Ballymore Novices' Hurdle – Gaillard Du Mesnil into 15-8 (from 9-4)
2.30: Coral Cup – Craigneiche into 7-1 (from 8); Birchdale 12-1 (from 14)
4.50: Weatherbys Champion Bumper – Ramilles into 12-1 (from 16); Grangee into 20-1 (from 22)

Updated at 9.30am

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Game over: Paddy Power pay out on Ireland winning Prestbury Cup

Paddy Power have kicked St Patrick's Day off by paying out on bets for Ireland to win the Prestbury Cup - the annual challenge between Britain and Ireland to have the most Cheltenham Festival winners.

Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield said: "Ireland were well fancied to win the Prestbury Cup anyway but on St Patrick's Day we felt it's only right to pay out as the Irish look set to dominate Cheltenham this afternoon. Come on you horses in green."

Ireland could pile on the pressure in terms of winners on Wednesday too, with the likes of Gaillard Du Mesnil, Chacun Pour Soi, Kilcruit and Monkfish all leading fancies.

Posted at 11am

Going update: Conditions quicken again

The going at Cheltenham on Wednesday will be good to soft all over on all courses after the track continued to dry out overnight.

The official going was soft, good to soft in places at the start of the meeting but was changed to good to soft, soft in places after the Close Brothers Mares' Hurdle on day one.

After walking the course on Wednesday, clerk of the course Simon Claisse said: "We changed it to good to soft, soft in places after race five yesterday and we've had a drying 12 hours since then. I've had a good walk around this morning and have taken the soft places out after that."

Warm and breezy weather on Tuesday had helped to dry the ground, but Claisse did not expect such strong drying conditions for day two.

"It's forecast to be a dry day but not as warm today," he said. "We got up to 17C yesterday and a few of us came away feeling a touch sunburned. It's not as breezy either today. We might even end up with a bit of good in the description at some point."

A raft of measures designed to reduce the spread of Covid-19 at Cheltenham are in place at the course this year, including segregation of British and Irish-based riders and a separate area for connections travelling over from Ireland.

Claisse reported the systems had worked well on day one. He said: "We were delighted with how day one was delivered. You can make all the plans you want for something like this but the proof is doing it and it worked really well. It went well with the segregation with the Irish jockeys in the weighing room and the other measures we've put in."

Posted at 7am

Wednesday's free Cheltenham Festival tipping:

Paul Kealy's banker at Cheltenham on Wednesday

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