Relentless rain turned Ladies Day at the Cheltenham Festival into a washout. Wet weather, which continued all day, changed the ground to heavy as fans on-course battled the elements.
Star runner Shishkin, the hot favourite for the feature Champion Chase, was defeated with his trainer putting his run down to the soggy turf. Jockey Nico de Boinville only got as far as the ninth fence on the 5-6 shot, as victory went to the Willie Mullins-trained Energumene.
Many racegoers took shelter from the rain indoors as the two-mile contest concluded – and the going was changed to its softest description shortly after. The rain was not to Tiger Roll's liking, but he still ran an honourable race on his final career start.
