Hurricane Fly bids for a 3rd Champion Hurdle: past winners in pictures

This afternoon all the action is at Cheltenham racecourse, as the 2014 Cheltenham Festival kicks off.

In the feature race of the day, the Champion Hurdle, record-breaking 19-times Grade 1 winner Hurricane Fly bids to retain his title in what has been billed as the race of the meeting.

He’s up against strong competition in the form of The New One, Jezki, Our Conor and My Tent Or Yours. So who will you be rooting for?

In the meantime, take a look back at some of past winners of the famous race in pictures.

Don’t miss the Champion Hurdle, live on Channel 4 today (Tuesday 11 March) at 3.20pm.

H&H reader offer: Bet on the Cheltenham Festival with Paddy Power and receive up to £250 in free bets for all new customers!

If you enjoyed this gallery, why not check out our other picture collections?

Nick Skelton: his career in pictures

To mark Nick Skelton joining the H&H team as guest editor, we look back through the H&H picture archives at some highlights of his career.

Farewell to Headley Britannia: H&H celebrates her life in pictures

After the sad news that Headley Britannia has been put down after a cross-country schooling accident, H&H looks back at highlights of this special mare’s career from our picture archives.

Carl Hester in pictures: from the archives

To celebrate Carl Hester joining the Horse & Hound team as our guest editor of the magazine, we took a look back through the H&H picture archives at interesting moments throughout his career.

Entries close for Badminton Horse Trials 2014: past winners in pictures

H&H has looked back through our picture archives to celebrate some of Badminton’s most prolific winners.

Big Buck’s retires: H&H celebrates his career in pictures

The record-breaking staying hurdler, who has won the World Hurdle a record 4-times, was retired after this year’s race in which he finished 5th.

The Cheltenham Gold Cup: celebrating past winners in pictures

H&H looks back at some popular past winners, including Desert Orchid, Kauto Star, Denman, Golden Miller, Best Mate and Arkle.

The Champion Chase: H&H’s favourite past winners in pictures

H&H looks back over some of the past stars — including Master Minded, One Man and Crisp.

Billy Twomey at home: in pictures

Following his leading showjumper win at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) last October, we visited Billy Twomey at his Nottinghamshire home to see how a normal day pans out for the popular Irish rider. Here are some of the behind-the-scenes pictures that we took on the day.