Winner all right as Geraghty takes first day spoils at Cheltenham

Drumree jockey Barry Geraghty stormed up Cheltenham Hill on Tuesday afternoon to land the 2009 Champion Hurdle on 22/1 shot Punjabi. Geraghty was riding his first winner at Cheltenham for top English trainer Nicky Henderson and the duo won the showpiece of the opening day from Celestial Halo and the favourite, Binocular, which finished third. 'Happy days, it was a great performance and I"m thrilled to have ridden my first winner at Cheltenham for Nicky Henderson,' said Geraghty, who also won the Arkle Chase on the opening day with the Tom Cooper-trained Forpaddydeplasterer. Castletown trainer Noel Meade had three runners in the Champion Hurdle, the best being Muirhead, which finished fifth. Go Native provided the perfect antidote for Meade who is recovering at home following a second back operation in a Dublin hospital last week. Meade roared jockey Paul Carberry and Go Native all the way back to the winners" enclosure as he got the Irish off to a winning start in the Supreme Novices" Hurdle. 'I"m sure Paul felt he got there too soon, I thought he did, but it was just the way it worked out, it was the longest run-in I can ever remember going up that straight, but he got there anyway,' commented the Castletown trainer. Carberry was also on the sidelines last week following a fall at Navan from Charlie Yardbird and was having his first ride back. 'I fancied him the whole time and he jumped the second-last really well, but I didn"t want to be there too early,' added the jockey. Nina Carberry added to the Meath jockeys" tally when she rode Enda Bolger"s Garde Champetre to a 7/2 victory in the Cross-Country Chase.