JOCKEY Tom Scudamore stormed to victory in the Wetherby's Champion Bumper at Cheltenham this afternoon.

Scudamore, the son of legendary Herefordshire jockey Peter Scudamore, was riding Moon Racer.

The 9/2 favourite opened up at 11/2 but sustained support in the ring forced his price down a point and the gamble was justified as the David Pipe-trained gelding overcame a tardy start to storm up the hill to score from 33/1 shot Modus.

"The tactics were forced upon me because of what happened at the start," said Scudamore.

"Somebody got kicked earlier on so there was a bit of a delay and when the tapes went up, he just hesitated a bit. I

"It's only his third ever run and he's never been in a start like that. From then on in, I just thought 'whatever happens, happens'.

"In the championship races here though, there are no hard luck stories. The best horse in the race usually wins and he was the best horse in the race. It makes a big difference to have the horse to do it underneath you.

"He was tough and he was brave - he's a true bumper champion. I love him - he's my favourite now!"

The festival started yesterday, with the Cheltenham Gold Cup being the highlight on Friday.

A panel of experts, led by Peter Scudamore, gave their opinion on who think will win the race during a "From the Horses Mouth" event at the Castle House in Hereford on Sunday evening.

See tomorrow'a Hereford Times to find out who they have picked.