Robbie Power on top at Cheltenham again as Robinsfirth lands feature

Cheltenham played a huge part in Robbie Power's annus mirabilis and he struck another blow at the course, steering Robinsfirth to victory in the £45,000 Grade 3 Unicoin Group Handicap Chase.

Trained by Colin Tizzard, Robinsfirth scored at 7-4 in what was a disappointing field of only five runners for such a valuable prize, with Mysteree's late scratching reducing the numbers further.

Supporters of the runner-up Shanroe Santos may feel unlucky, a mistake at the second-last depriving us of what may have been a closer finish, but jumping is the name of the game and Robinsfirth was arguably not doing all he could in front late on.

Paddy Power introduced the winner at 40-1 for the Randox Health Grand National but Tizzard revealed he faces a battle with the horse's owners if he is to head to Aintree in the spirng.

"We put him in the Welsh National but the ladies (his owners) wouldn't let me confirm the entry," he said. "I just mentioned the Grand National to them now and they both said no to that as well.

"That's a ladies' prerogative but I'll keep working on it. He would be a lovely horse for the National. He could run a big race in it."

After failing to complete on his previous two outings, Sizing Tennessee gets it right in Cheltenham's novice chaseCredit: Edward Whitaker

No tumble for Tennessee today

Sizing Tennessee was rewarded for putting in a clean round of jumping with a first win over fences for Colin Tizzard and Bryan Cooper, handing his trainer the first leg of his double.

The nine-year-old clearly boasts a remarkable engine, travelling strongly under Cooper for much of the contest, but there were still plenty of heart-in-mouth moments for all concerned.

Every departure from the ground is an event for Sizing Tennessee and there were a couple of scares before he and Duel At Dawn pulled clear of Coastal Tiep up the hill, Tizzard's charge ultimately justifying 2-1 favouritism.

Tizzard was full of enthusiasm afterwards and said: "He's got a big, powerful engine. On good spring ground he'll be an RSA Chase horse. That and the four-miler are the races to be looking at with him.

"He just wants practice, practice is everything. He'll be a big player in the spring."

Paddy Power introduced the winner at 33-1 in their RSA Chase betting and 25-1 for the National Hunt Chase over the longer trip.

Bless The Wings gets Cantlow revenge

Last December, Cantlow got the better of Bless The Wings in the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase and, 12 months on, the old men filled the same two places but the other way around.

Just days before they reach their teenage years, the two specialists around this course were loving life again as Bless The Wings scored at 12-1 for Gordon Elliott and Davy Russell.

"He has been placed at three Cheltenham Festivals and in two Irish Nationals, so he's a great horse," said Elliott. "He was a bit disappointing the last twice and I was thinking of retiring him, so it shows what these jumps can do for a horse."

Favourite Josies Orders, who ran in fits and starts, took third, while More Of That, a newcomer to this sphere, was pulled up a long way from home.

Fellow rookie Tiger Roll did complete the course but was beaten a long way by his stablemate.

Paddy Power trimmed the winner to 10-1 (from 14-1) for the March equivalent and introduced him to their Grand National market at 50-1.

Western Ryder wins the opener at CheltenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker

'Exciting' Western Ryder strikes first

Western Ryder kicked off the International meeting with victory in the British Stallion Studs EBF National Hunt Novices' Hurdle.

The early pace was little short of laughable, with none of the eight runners keen to go on, meaning the first handful of flights were jumped at a dawdle.

A horse race eventually broke out after about half a mile and it was Western Ryder and a determined Richard Johnson who pulled clear up the hill with Lalor, who had got the better of him when the pair met in an Aintree bumper last season.

This time is was the Warren Greatrex-trained Western Ryder who scored, making it two wins in a row since he unseated Johnson on his hurdles debut at Stratford last month.

"He's a very exciting horse and I thought he was unlucky last year in a couple of the big bumpers," said Greatrex. "He loves a fast-run race, he stays very well and he jumped good there today. He has a lot of potential.

"In the spring we'll be looking more at two and a half miles – and it might be that we wait until we come back here to do that. I don't know where he'll go next but we'll look for something better."

Alainn completes hat-trick

Robert Walford had expressed doubts about whether Smaoineamh Alainn's opening mark would be too much to overcome but the mare put in a likeable effort to make it three wins from three starts for the trainer.

Like the opening race, the Catesby Handicap Hurdle over 2m1f saw the field crawling along early on, before Smaoineamh Alainn burst between rivals up the hill to score with her ears pricked.

Principal winning owner Kathy Yeo said: "Rob Walford says she is the fastest horse he has at home. She'll have to go up a grade now and we would like to get black-type as we bought her to eventually breed from her."

Three-timer for Arthur's Gift too

Arthur's Gift also made it three wins in a row and handed a dream first Cheltenham success to his rider Tom Humphries in the concluding 3m Citipost Handicap Hurdle.

Humphries, a 7lb claimer, has on Thursday spoken of his delight at keeping the ride aboard the runner for his boss, Nigel Twiston-Davies, and he rewarded that faith with a fine ride.

He pounced full of running between long-time leader Sykes and Jester Jet to win perhaps with more in hand still.

Ms Parfois gets better of proper battle

Ms Parfois really knuckled down to get the better of Theatre Territory to win the CF Roberts Electrical & Mechanical Services Mares' Handicap Chase over 2m5f.

The race was a dramatic one, firstly due to a terrible incident six fences from home, which saw Tara Mac take a crushing fall and bring down Timeforwest and Twenty Eight Guns, the latter having only barely survived a terrible error of her own a couple of fences earlier.

With all horses and jockeys up okay, the focus was back on the conclusion of the race and Ms Parfois and Theatre Territory pulled a long way clear as the battled for the win.

Sam Waley-Cohen, in the colours of Long Run he helped make famous here, gave all he could aboard Theatre Territory but Ms Parfois and Noel Fehily were not for denying in a finish typical of the famous old hill.

Winning trainer Anthony Honeyball said: "She has a big stride on tacky ground and can go a good gallop, but today it was nice to get a lead. She seemed to be flat out all the way but her jumping was superb."

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