Cheltenham Festival reports, replays and reaction: Star performance from Value Bet

Nicholls had gone 53 runners and two years without a Festival winner after a blank few days to start the meeting but Stage Star made most of the running under Harry Cobden to land the Grade 1 Turners Novices' Chase in fine style.

Notlongtillmay finished second for Laura Morgan at 40/1 as Irish-trained big guns Mighty Potter and Appreciate It had to settle for the minor places, the Gordon Elliott-trained 4/6 favourite hanging markedly to his right after the last.

The winning trainer said: “It’s been a tough week so far, but it’s a tough place. We were a little bit unlucky yesterday with a couple, but that was brilliant. Different track, slightly better ground, it was always going to suit us. I said to Harry today ‘be positive, bowl along in front and ride him like the best horse in the race’. He gave him a peach of a ride there.”

"He travelled and jumped well and quickened up like he did the last day. I told Harry go out, go a nice gallop and be positive and dictate it from the front – he’s so good at doing that. I think if we went back and rode that race yesterday (Ballymore, with Hermes Allen) again we might have done things differently, but we’re not going to look back, we’re going to look forward.

“This is a young horse who is improving and we’re thrilled. I’m thrilled he’s come back from last year’s disaster and gone really forward. It gives me more hope for Bravemansgame in the Gold Cup tomorrow, who did exactly the same thing last spring. I think that is his trip and he’ll be aimed for the Ryanair next year. He probably would get three miles, but he has plenty of boot and he jumps well.”

Gordon Elliott was philosophical after the defeat of the favourite, seen by many as one of the bankers of the week.

He said: “He didn’t have a nice experience here last year, but he’s run better than then at least. It’s always disappointing when you don’t win, but that is the game we are in. He never got into a decent rhythm like he did the last day. At Leopardstown he would jump and Davy (Russell) would take him back, but today he was stretching for them. We’ll get him home and see where we are.”

Davy Russell could offer no excuses and said: “It’s very disappointing but I can’t put my finger on anything, he didn’t miss a beat the whole way. The winner is a good horse and the second isn’t bad with a string of ones next to his name. I’ve no real excuses. I wasn't worried about him hanging as he was still running, I didn’t lose much ground. I’ve won plenty of races here by drifting right. He just might not have been good enough.”

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