Cheltenham Festival 2015: Tuesday summary

Surely one of the most dramatic opening days of a Cheltenham Festival for a long while.

• Four winners for trainer Willie Mullins: Douvan (2/1f), Un De Sceaux (4/6f), Faugheen (4/5f), Glens Melody (6/1)
• Mullins saddles the first three home in the Stan James Champion Hurdle: Faugheen, Arctic Fire and Hurricane Fly
• Three winners for jockey Ruby Walsh and a double for Paul Townend
• AP McCoy draws a blank on Jezki, Jollyallan et al.
• Annie Power falls at the last flight in the OLBG Mares' Hurdle when leading and on her way to a sure victory
• The Druids Nephew (8/1) wins the Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase - a first Cheltenham Festival winner for trainer Neil Mulholland
• Owner JP McManus has a Festival winner on his birthday in the form of Cause Of Causes (8/1)

Bookies fearful of Mullins mauling

Bookmakers could take a battering on the opening day of the 2015 Cheltenham Festival if all four of the Willie Mullins-Ruby Walsh combination of favourites are victorious.

Douvan, Un De Sceaux, Faugheen Annie Power have the potential to get the Festival off to a winning start for the punters.

Ladbrokes' David Williams explained: "The Ruby Walsh 'acca' [accumulator] has the potential to do untold damage."

"It's going to be the most popular accumulator bet we've ever known. If all four horses win we'll never have known a day like it at Cheltenham. It could run to tens of millions of pounds."

"We'll be desperate to see one of them beaten. Anything more than that will be a luxury but we dare not dream."

"We simply want to get through the opening day in one piece and there's no guarantee it will happen."

Bookmakers' bleatings about how much they stand to lose (or have lost) should always be taken with a large dose of salt. In any case, they have three further days to win it all back.