Here’s Greg Wood’s report on day one, thanks for following today’s action and please join us tomorrow,We go again,No sooner had Lossiemouth lifted the roof off Cheltenham with a staggeringly dominant Champion Hurdle victory than the skies around Prestbury Park also began to brighten too,The buildup to the festival had been dominated by talk of civil war, of feuding and internecine conflict,But this was a reminder of the sport’s simple pleasures.

Horse and jockey.Fence and turf.Drama and thrills for the ages.This was a day that jump racing needed.The opening day attendance of 57,242 was the highest for three years.

It made Cheltenham feel like a place to be while not bursting at the seams, a balancing act it has not always managed.And, most importantly of all, the racing was competitive and the stars came out to play.Saratoga provided owner JP McManus with the perfect birthday present when striking in the McCoy Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.One of three horses running in the green and gold silks of McManus, who was celebrating his 75th birthday, the Padraig Roche-trained grey was a 10-1 chance under Mark Walsh.The former Flat performer made light work of the 22-runner contest, strolling home ahead of Winston Junior to emulate his half-brother Brazil’s success in 2022 for the same owner, trainer and jockey combination.

McManus said: “We’ve always had a lot of fun and great days here.It’s a place which means so much to so many and I’m delighted to see this one win for Padraig.Every winner is special and I go back a long time with Padraig’s father Christy.“We won this race with Brazila few years ago and they were praying the ground would be fast and every day it was drying out was a bonus.I’ve had winners here on my birthday before, but you never get tired of it.

” PA MediaGordon Elliott and Dan Skelton were looking towards Aintree after seeing Brighterdaysahead and The New Lion fill out the places in the Champion Hurdle.Brighterdaysahead proved too strong for Lossiemouth in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown last month, but the tables were turned at Prestbury Park as the latter claimed her fourth Cheltenham Festival success and Elliott’s mare suffered defeat in the Cotswolds for the third year on the spin.Elliott did not make excuses for his star mare, but feels she is in need of a step up in trip on spring ground.“We’re absolutely delighted, Jack (Kennedy) said he couldn’t go any quicker on her,” said Elliott.“The ground probably didn’t suit her, but she tried her heart out and galloped all the way to the line.

We’ll probably look at something like Aintree now over two and a half miles.I’d say coming back to Punchestown could be a bit short for her.”Skelton was similarly magnanimous in defeat after seeing The New Lion beaten for the first time over fences.He said: “I’m very happy with how he ran and there are no excuses.He jumped beautifully and I’m very, very proud of the horse, what more can we say?“Lossiemouth is a very worthy winner.

She’s waited her time to get in the race and now she’s won a Champion Hurdle - well done to them,We were giving 7lb to the two mares and it’s a great effort from our horse,I’ve had a great buildup to it, we got a clear round and he ran his heart out, we just got beat,I should imagine we’ll go on to Aintree,” PA MediaYesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery.

Having said that, do you want the lowdown on day two? Look no further than Greg Wood’s preview:Four-three to British trainers v the Irish on day one of Cheltenham, then.A big ride from James Bowen, for Nicky Henderson, to close out the day.Brown’s first Cheltenham win.1) Holloway Queen 2) King Of Answers 3) One Big Bang 4) Union Station 5) Iceberg Theory 6) Wade Out 7) Pic Roc 8) Holokea 9) Silver Thorn 10) First Confession 11) Will DoPic Roc makes an error at the third-last! Holloway Queen into the lead.Backmersackme ‘has made a load of mistakes, and will need a miracle.

”Pic Roc leads by three lengths.Jungle Boogie led for much of the previous race, and eventually finished second-last, so don’t get too excited.Pic Roc still leads.Holloway Queen in second.Backmersackme “is a little indifferent”, says the BBC commentator … “Another mistake and he’s going to have to sharpen up if he’s going to take this race …”Pic Roc makes the early running.

And they’re off!We had a false start to the day’s final race, the National Hunt Challenge Cup Novice Handicap Chase, but now they are off … no, actually, they’re not.The crowd is growing restless.“She’s very genuine and honest,” the jockey Paul Townend tells the BBC of Lossiemouth, winner of the Champion Hurdle.Which horses at Cheltenham today could be classed as dishonest, just out of interest?We should be a couple of minutes away from the final race of the day: the National Hunt Challenge Cup Novice Handicap Chase.In the absence of live ITV coverage, I’ve switched to the radio.

Lord Allen resigned as chair of the British Horseracing Authority last week, after a brief and troubled reign,Greg Wood wrote about it:First and foremost, it is a huge sporting event, billed by its fans as the Olympics of jump racing – but it can also act as a social barometer, giving clues as to the state and mood of the nation,This year’s Cheltenham festival, which began on Tuesday, feels a little like a step back in time with the return of “Ladies Day” after a five-year hiatus and a reduction in the price of a pint,How’s your day been? Email me,Some excellent shots from Tom Jenkins below, of Lossiemouth and Paul Townend winning the day’s biggest race, the Champion Hurdle:5.

20pm: National Hunt Challenge Cup Novice Handicap Chase, 3M 5F 201YDAs wide-open as any race all day according to the betting, although Kurasso Blue has been a “plunge” horse this morning, and is down to around 9-2 for the Gordon Elliott/Jack Kennedy combo,Iceberg Theory, another Irish raider from the Paul Nolan stable, is next in the list and arrives on the back of two straight wins, but is up 13lb in the weights since his latest success,Newton Tornado represents Rebecca Curtis’s Welsh stable, successful 12 months ago with Haiti Couleurs, who has since developed into a live contender for Friday’s Gold Cup,Wade Out and One Big Bang, first and second respectively in a Listed novice chase over an extended three miles here in November, are also very much in the mix in a getting-out race that will have the bookmakers salivating,Selection: One Big Bang“Sometimes a bit of patience and it all comes together,” says the victorious trainer Dan Skelton.

“Everyone works hard in this sport.Seven winners today, seven winners tomorrow [in total], I just hope everyone enjoys what we’re doing … it’s great to have a winner, it really does give you a lovely feeling.”“This horse has been brilliant,” says the jockey Harry Skelton.“He won well there, he missed the autumn due to an injury – but he ran well last time at Kempton … once I’d straightened up, down to two out, I thought it was his to lose … it just don’t get better than this place, very privileged to be part of this.Day one, one on the board, I wouldn’t mind a few more now.

”Another favourite triumphs! Harry Skelton for the win.“He has absolutely routed them,” says the commentator.Indeed, all that money for Madara was well spent.Get ready for more complaints from the poor bookmakers.1) Madara 2) Will The Wise 3) Moon D’orange 4) Downmexicoway 5) Zurich 6) O’Moore Park 7) McLaurey 8) Western Zephyr 9) Boombawn 10) Midnight It Is 11) Riskintheground 12) Peaky Boy 13) Jipcot 14) Dee Capo 15) Theatre Native 16) Jungle Boogie 17) No Questions AskedMadara streaks away …Jungle Boogie leads the way with seven to jump.

Western Zephyr in second.Will The Wise is up there too.Off they go for the 4.40pm, the Plate Handicap Chase, the penultimate race on the card.Is “He/she always tries” the most inane thing that trainers/owners say? The horses generally do seem to try, as a matter of course.

Madara is 3-1 for this.Mclaurey is 4-1.Plenty of money coming in late for Madara, so they say.“We just got beat.Sometimes, you get beat,” says Dan Skelton of one (or perhaps more) of the earlier races.

Wise words.4.40pm Plate Handicap Chase, 2M 4F 44YDThe Festival’s two-and-a-half mile handicap chase switches to the Old course for the first time this year but is every bit as competitive as it was on the New with a full field going to post and several runners having attracted significant support in recent days.Madara is the likely favourite for Dan and Harry Skelton after an eye-catching run at Kempton last time, although his hold-up running style would usually be a bit of a red flag in a festival handicap chase.McLaurey has been strongly backed to give JP McManus and the ever-shrewd Emmet Mullins another winner in a festival handicap, and the green-and-gold have backup in the shape of Down Memory Lane, from the Gordon Elliott yard.

Zurich is another Irish raider to consider, and may pass some punters by as he has not raced since 13 December, but that tends to be Henry de Bromhead’s preferred way of doing things and his record of 23 festival winners speaks for itself,A couple of excitable young punters at Cheltenham – photographed by our very own Tom Jenkins,Ticket sales are up 2,000 on last year for today, it is reported on ITV,“That’s putting it mildly,” says jockey Patrick Mullins when it’s mentioned that Anzadam made a bad early mistake (I believe it was at the first hurdle),