Flying Overturn so close to a shock

Shropshire-owned hurdles star Overturn came within a whisker of pulling off a 20-1 Champion Hurdle shock on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.

The versatile Overturn, a winner on the Flat and over jumps, set a scorching pace from the start, only to be edged into second place by Paul Nicholls' Rock On Ruby.

It was the second year running that owner Tim Leslie, a businessman based north of Telford, had watched one of his horses finish second in the first day's showpiece race.

Last year it was Peddlers Cross, like Overturn trained near Whitchurch by Donald McCain, who finished runner-up. Peddlers Cross runs tomorrow in the Jewson Novices' Chase.

McCain said: "I'm absolutely thrilled. He served it up to all of them at the top of the hill and I just panicked that turning in, trying to do that and trying to go with the winner, it was going to cost him a place and he didn't deserve that.

"To see him stick his chin out again going down to the last and to the line is fantastic. His jumping was quicksilver. He wasn't himself at Kempton (Christmas Hurdle) and we knew why, because I got greedy.

"We knew we'd give him a break to come here fresh and he did a piece of work last week at Bangor that was sparkling.

"We were very hopeful he'd be in the first four. To beat Hurricane Fly and get beaten by Rock On Ruby I can't say I expected that, but I'm thrilled. Going over fences is a possibility as he's absolutely lightning."

However, there was sadness on the opening day as three horses suffered fatal injuries. Scotsirish, favourite for the Glenfarclas Handicap Chase on the cross-country course, and six-times winner over the unique track Garde Champetre were put down.

The race was run on ground officially described as good to firm, watered in parts at the start of the day.

Leading trainer Henrietta Knight said concerns over firm ground meant some trainers did not support the cross-country race. "I would not risk one of mine," she said.

Educated Evans, trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, fell two out in the last race, the Pulteney Land Investments Novices' Handicap Chase.

Clerk of the course Simon Claisse said: "Regrettably we had three fatalities, two in the cross-country race. We'd had 27 races and 375 runners on the (cross-country) course since 2000 and, until yesterday, only one fatality."