Cheltenham Festival: Energumene wins Champion Chase, Tiger Roll denied – live!

LIVE – Updated at 17:50

Energumene v Shishkin in the Champion Chase is the highlight on the second day. Join Niall McVeigh for Festival updates.

1 Facile Vega (Mr P Mullins) 15-8 Fav

2 American Mike (Mr J Codd) 5-2

3 James’s Gate (S O’Keeffe) 16-1

20 ran

Also: 18-1 Seabank Bistro 4th

Facile Vega wins the Champion Bumper! It’s a 12th win in this race for Willie Mullins, with American Mike second and James’s Gate, another Mullins entry, coming third.

5.30 Champion Bumper Houlanbatordechais leads by about three lengths as the chasing pack goes around one of those diversions, but he’s slowing, and Facile Vega is storming to the front ...

5.30 Champion Bumper Facile Vega and American Mike are in midfield, the whole field covered by 10 lengths. Houlanbatordechais has moved clear, though Rachael Blackmore has to stop him from pulling to the right ...

5.30 Champion Bumper They’re off in the delayed final race of the day, and tightly bunched together after half a mile ...

The course clerk, John Pullen, says that the runners will be diverted to the left of three hurdles, where water has pooled in the stake posts after the obstacles were removed. It’s been a tough day for Pullen, whose decision to water the course last night has been criticised.

“From Sunday on the forecast it was going to be a very wet day today, and why water when you’ve got a wet day forecast?” Paul Nicholls said after withdrawing Bravemansgame from the Novices’ Chase earlier on today.

5.30 Champion Bumper odds

Champion Bumper delayed! It looks like the race will still go ahead, but staff are out tackling pools of water where hurdles have been removed. Jockeys are also being talked through a new route, diverting around some of the trickier patches.

Willie