Danielle McSorley, from Dublin, and Niamh Spiller, from Galway, at Cheltenham for day one of the festival. Photo: Gerry Mooney.

IT WAS a family affair as the Cheltenham Festival got off to a flyer for trainer Willie Mullins and his son Patrick – as the champion trainer bagged three wins from the first seven races.

The icing on the cake came in the third of those when Rathvinden romped home in the National Hunt Chase with amateur jockey Patrick aboard.

After his horses came a cropper on the corresponding day last year, Mullins admitted it was “fantastic” to have an upturn in fortunes on this one.

“The first two days were tough last year, but thankfully things are better this time around and it’s been a fantastic day for us,” he said.

As is often the case, it was another Ruby Tuesday at Prestbury Park, with Walsh returning from a broken leg to saddle two winners.

Victory on board hotly-tipped Footpad in the second race had the punters purring early on. Bookies Paddy Power admitted to being on their “knees” after the hugely popular win.

However, such are the slings and arrows of fortune at Cheltenham that the pendulum did not take long to swing back slightly in the favour of the bookmakers.

The surprise victory of the Mullins/Walsh dream team with Benie Des Dieux ensured Michael O’Leary’s hotly tipped Apple’s Jade did not come out on top.

The punters were marginally ahead at the close of play, but there is a long week ahead.

Along the race-track the much anticipated Cheltenham roar didn’t disappoint as they took off for the first race of the day.

It was the feature Champion Hurdle that had the famous track bouncing as Irish jockey Barry Geraghty on Buveur D’Air squeezed past Mullins’ horse, Melon in heart-stopping fashion. The horse’s owner JP McManus quipped that it was “too exciting” for his liking.

McManus admitted that he decided against having a flutter on his own horse. “It was a masterclass. They are all magical days. All brilliant,” he said.

“No, I didn’t [have a bet on]. I was happy to cheer him home,” he added.

While most of the crowd was gripped by the noise coming from the stands, Leinster rugby star Dave Kearney insisted it wouldn’t hold a candle to the raucous roar that will reverberate from London this Saturday, if Ireland manage to clinch the Grand Slam.

“It’s going to be class.

It’s shaping up well,” he said.

“The pressure is off a bit now after winning the championship, so we just need to go out and do the job. I heard about the Cheltenham roar, but I thought it would be louder to be honest. I’d say there’ll be more of a roar in Twickenham if we win.”

It was his first time in Cheltenham and Kearney Irish racegoers Suzanne Ryan (left) and Jennifer Wrynne, pictured below, enjoy day one was being put up for the night by former team-mate and England international Ben Te’o.

“We’re off Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” he said.

“We had a rescheduled match last week and were meant to be off last week, so I’ll have a few and let the hair down a bit.”

Meanwhile, the battle of the English and Irish trainers is finely balanced going into today.

Captain for the Irish side, snooker legend Ken Doherty, is hopeful they can emulate last year’s victory.

He said that while a 19-9 victory again might be tough, with Mullins and Gordon Elliot, the Irish are in with a shot.