Chianti Classico wins the Ultima Handicap Chase on Day One to hand Britain a first victory of the 2024 Cheltenham Festival

Kim Bailey’s Chianti Classico put in a smooth round of jumping to take the Ultima Handicap Chase for David Bass and Kim Bailey.

The gelding was one of two runners in the running for Bailey, and after Trelawne went down early, it was left to his stablemate to carry the yard’s hopes.

He did so diligently and traveled well throughout the match to come home full of runs and claim the 6-1 victory, leaving the British trainers off the mark for the week.

Bass said: “It meant a lot, it’s actually a pretty good feeling to win here.” It is a privilege to ride these horses. “However, it is difficult to win here: 2020 was the last time and it has been too long.”

Bailey said: “At one point I thought ‘oh no, David is getting too brave’, but he jumped for fun and was galloping down the hill, wasn’t he?”

‘David has been confident all along, so he was right. He was absolutely steadfast from the first day he rode this horse (instead of Trelawne). He adores the horse and says that he is a complete terrier, and today he has done like a terrier.

“He’s tough as nails, he’s not very big, but he’s as skilled and agile as he’s ever been.”

‘When Aiden Murphy and I bought it, we said we’d bring it here, but I never thought it would actually happen!

‘We’ve been knocking on the door for a while, so it’s great for everyone that we have it today. It’s huge for the team, having a rider at Cheltenham is what it’s all about.

“Today has been the plan for a long time, we trained it for today.”

Of the bass, he joked: “I’m not sure it’s that special, we’ve been trying to get rid of it for years.” We have nothing in common, I’m not vegan anyway!

‘He has been a great supporter of the shipyard and we have been together for 11 years. He’s a do-or-die pilot and I thought he was pretty reserved today!’