THE Cheltenham Festival burst into life on Tuesday and Faugheen put up a breathtaking performance to land the Champion Hurdle for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh.

With three of the first four from last year's race lining up, Faugheen was going to be tested to the limit, or so we thought, but after giving his mount a breather coming down the hill, Walsh pressed the button and the response was immediate.

For a few strides the veteran Hurricane Fly loomed large in search of a third win, but he could find no more up the hill and it was left to another Mullins runner, Arctic Fire, to chase home the winner.

He was a length and a half behind, but Walsh felt his mount was idling having been in front for so long.

It meant Mullins became the first man in history to saddle the first three home, an achievement even he felt was beyond him on his way to the track.

"You dream of it, but you don't think it could ever happen," he said.

"I'll leave it for other people to decide if it's my greatest achievement, but it would have to be right up there, along with some fantastic days at Punchestown, riding a winner here and winning a Grand National. I wouldn't like to rate them.

"I thought Hurricane Fly ran a fantastic race throughout and Arctic Fire – I can't see a rib on him yet, so I think there is far more improvement in him than the rest of them.

"All three of them could go to Punchestown and the way Arctic Fire finished you'd think Aintree might suit him. He's owned by the same people who had Simenon so we could look to go back on the Flat and he could be a Melbourne Cup horse.

"Faugheen was just awesome today and we know he's still improving.

"Ruby slowed it down and then quickened at the second-last and he put it to bed very quickly.

"I don't think he'll be jumping a fence for a very long time, if he ever does. There's no need to when he's so good over hurdles."

On Wednesday, Dodging Bullets gave Paul Nicholls a fifth win in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase but the race will be equally remembered for the sad sight of Sprinter Sacre pulling up.

A thrilling 19-length winner of this race two years ago, Nicky Henderson had tried to nurse Sprinter Sacre back to health after a heart scare, and when he finished second to Dodging Bullets on his long-awaited comeback at Ascot hopes were high his ability still remained.

While Henderson had repeatedly stated he was not the horse that had taken our breath away in 2013, he had hoped to find enough improvement to be competitive in all of the major races once more.

However, that now looks a long shot as he was taken off to be scoped, with Barry Geraghty pulling him up before the last.

Nicholls was irked that despite winning the two major pointers for this race, the Tingle Creek and the Clarence House Chase, Dodging Bullets was still behind Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy in the betting.

But with Gary Moore's 2014 champion finding the ground too quick, it was left to two outsiders, Special Tiara and Somersby, to give Dodging Bullets most to do.

It was between the three at the last, but Sam Twiston-Davies and Dodging Bullets pulled a length and a quarter clear of Somersby.

The winner was bred by Frankie Dettori, who was quickly on the scene to congratulate Nicholls.

"That was absolutely awesome," said the Ditcheat handler.

"He should have been favourite on form. I couldn't see why the other two were ahead of him in the market.

"Progressive horses usually come out on top here, but as we found with Big Buck's last year there's a lot of sentiment involved.

"We know where we are going with him now.

"Like Silviniaco Conti (favourite for Friday's Gold Cup), he's been treated for ulcers and it's helping him finish his races much better.

"We know how to train him now. I thought he was a certainty first time out this season here but he wasn't fit enough, so when I got him home and trained him harder.

"He's mentally grown up now and is more relaxed."

Today the Gold Cup takes centre stage and Silviniaco Conti is the ante-post favourite for Paul Nicholls and Noel Fehily as he bids to win the blue riband at the third attempt.

Tony McCoy will ride John Kiely's Hennessy Gold Cup winner Carlingford Lough in what will be his final Gold Cup and he features in an Irish challenge that also includes last year's winner Lord Windermere, trained by Jim Culloty, the Willie Mullins-trained Djakadam and Noel Meade's Road To Riches.

Bring it on.