CHELTENHAM, England (AP) — Hurricane Fly regained the Champions Hurdle title on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival on Tuesday.
Rock On Ruby set the pace in the feature race, but 13-8 favorite Hurricane Fly ridden by Ruby Walsh stormed in front after jumping the next-to-last fence.
Rock On Ruby, the 11-2 defending champion, pushed Countrywide Flame, a 16-1 shot, into third in the 2 1/2-mile race.
Hurricane Fly also won in 2011 and became the first horse to regain the Champion Hurdle crown since Comedy of Errors in 1975.
