Constitution Hill wowed in the Champion Hurdle to justify his superstar status, but there may also be a new king in the saddle after Michael O’Sullivan announced himself on the game’s biggest stage with a sensational 103.5/1 double.

O’Sullivan only had one previous Festival ride before arriving at Cheltenham, but he left wearing the leading jockey’s armband after a spectacular day which the ice-cool Cork rider will never forget.

The 23-year-old has forged a fruitful partnership with Barry Connell after the stockbroker-turned-trainer encouraged him to turn professional in September, and the results have been extraordinary.

Marine Nationale (9/2) provided the pair with their first Grade One success before Christmas, and he defied a 100-day absence to take the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in scintillating fashion.

The Willie Mullins-trained Facile Vega (9/4 favourite) was all the rage and travelled with ease into the straight, but O’Sullivan picked him off after the final hurdle before cruising home by three lengths.

For Connell, it was “the best feeling of all time” having put his neck on the block by tipping the six-year-old to all and sundry.

“I came over on the boat and every Irish person was on the boat. I told them all to back the two horses (Marine Nationale and Good Land). I said they were the two best novice horses in Ireland, so at least I’m off the hook, partially,” Connell said.

He also had the highest of praise for O’Sullivan, who he dubbed as “the next superstar of the weighing-room”. The Mallow native has enjoyed a whirlwind year having watched the Supreme on his laptop in UCD 12 months ago.

He only qualified with a degree in animal science last May, and it has been an extraordinary rise that all started with a phone call to Connell that month to pitch for the ride on Marine Nationale in a Punchestown bumper. The rest is history.

“I was actually out milking cows with my father. I was looking down through the entries and I rang Barry. I had ridden for him a couple of times before. It worked out well, didn’t it?” O’Sullivan beamed.

As for the winner, Connell sees fences in his future. “This lad will probably come back for the Arkle next year, unless Constitution Hill keels over between now and then! My initial thoughts at this point of time would be Arkle, but we’ll see.”

O’Sullivan backed up the hype later in the card when guiding the Gordon Elliott-trained Jazzy Matty (18/1) to a surprise success in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle with a perfectly-timed ride seeing him prevail by a neck.

Festival success also saw him follow in the footsteps of his father, William, who rode Lovely Citizen to win the Foxhunters Chase in 1991, while his cousin Maxine partnered It Came To Pass to glory in the same race three years ago.

Constitution Hill (4/11 favourite) may have been denied the headlines by Honeysuckle’s exploits 40 minutes later, but Nicky Henderson’s six-year-old was sublime in his nine-length defeat of State Man (7/2).

In doing so, Nico de Boinville’s mount became the first horse since Bula (1970-’71) to back up Supreme success with Champion Hurdle glory 12 months later as he handed the Seven Barrows trainer a ninth win in the two-mile showpiece.

“You can do anything with this horse,” a teary-eyed Henderson said. “You could jump a fence, you could go three miles. He has had six races now and has barely come off the bridle, but it won’t last forever, so let’s enjoy it while we have got it.”

The bookmakers took a decent barrage from punters with Mullins ending the day on 90 Festival winners after El Fabiolo (11/10 favourite) laughed at chief rival Jonbon (2/1) with a superb display to take the Arkle under Paul Townend.

There were five-and-a-half lengths between the pair at the finish line, with Mullins already eyeing 2024 Champion Chase glory, for which he is as low as 3/1 market leader.

“I’m not looking to up him in trip yet,” the Closutton maestro said. “If a horse can operate over two miles, they are easier to train, easier to keep sound, and just easy altogether. Hopefully he will be a Champion Chase horse down the road.”

His son, Patrick, also left punters smiling as Gaillard Du Mesnil (10/11 favourite) finished strongly – taking advantage of a fall from the front-running Mahler Mission (13/2) – to land the National Hunt Cup.

“He’ll be made for a National,” the winning rider said. “I’m not sure anyone has won this race four times! More often than not, I’m riding the best horse in the race, so it’s just good to get the job done.”

They grey could meet Corach Rambler (6/1 joint-favourite) at Aintree after Lucinda Russell’s charge landed successive editions of the Ultima Handicap Chase having pounced late under Derek Fox.