Envoi Allen lived up to the hype with a supreme display in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Unbeaten in seven career starts heading into the opening race on day two of the Festival – including in the Champion Bumper last season – the Gordon Elliott-trained six-year-old was settled on the inside by Davy Russell.

At one point it looked as if long-time leader The Big Getaway had slipped the field under Paul Townend coming down the hill, with only Rachael Blackmore covering the move on Easywork, who had been keen enough.

But an ice-cool Russell has not gained the experience of over 20 years in the saddle for nothing and began to make ground just before the turn for home.

On the long run to the last the 4/7 favourite quickened impressively and powered four and a quarter lengths clear up the hill. His stablemate Easywork stayed on gamely for second, with The Big Getaway third.

After the race, Elliott said: "He was our best chance of the week and everyone was here to see him. I was nervous the whole way through the race - I watched it with Colin Bowe, who trained him to win a point-to-point. I was asking him the whole way 'Will he stay? Will he stay?' and he said that he would definitely stay no bother. If I had picked the wrong race, I was going to blame him.

"This was the big one for the week. He is the people's horse and everyone wanted him to win. He is eight from eight now. I thought Davy had given them too much lead coming down the hill but he knew the horse well - he does what he has to. The horse jumped and stayed.

"He stays, he jumps and was bought to be a three-mile chaser. I think that is what he is going to be, but we will have to discuss next season with his owners. We have a few nice novices, and this one will go to Punchestown."

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