Cheltenham Festival 2026 in Pictures: Here are 20 great photos of the first day of the huge horse racing event

It’s a huge week for British horse racing fans.

The Cheltenham Festival got underway yesterday (Tuesday, March 10), with Champion Day seeing Lossiemouth win the Unibet Champion Hurdle .

It was the first of four days of racing at Cheltenham, which will culminate in the famous Gold Cup race on Friday.

Before then racegoers will enjoy Ladies Day on Wednesday and a celebration of all things Irish on St Patrick’s Thursday.

Each day will see up to 70,000 spectators pack the course to enjoy seven races, with millions more watching on television.

Here are 20 pictures from the first day of racing.

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1. Steam power

Racegoers alight from the steam train on Champion Day during day one of the Cheltenham Festival. | Getty Images

Racegoers react as Old Park Star ridden by Jockey Nico de Boinville wins the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. | AFP via Getty Images

Racegoers watch the McCoy Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle horse race. | AFP via Getty Images

A racegoer poses for a photograph with a statue of Best Mate. | AFP via Getty Images