Cheltenham Festival 2026: Lossiemouth Shines on Day One as Champion Chase Day Builds Toward Majborough Showdown
Willie Mullins dominated the Cheltenham Festival's opening day with Lossiemouth delivering a stunning Champion Hurdle performance, and now all eyes turn to Wednesday's Champion Chase as Majborough arrives at Prestbury Park carrying the weight of heavy favouritism and enormous expectation.
Lossiemouth Delivers on Champion Day
Lossiemouth swept aside all rivals to claim a brilliant victory in the Champion Hurdle, starting as the 7/5 favourite after her connections opted for this race over the Mares' Hurdle — a contest she has previously won twice.
Paul Townend had her travelling smoothly throughout. The grey mare never looked in any sort of trouble, eventually defeating Brighterdaysahead by six and a half lengths, with The New Lion finishing third. Alexei ran a big race in fourth, just ahead of gallant defending champion Golden Ace.
Mullins was characteristically measured in his assessment. "She has that mare's pedigree which gives her that bit of speed and the cheekpieces, I think, just made a huge difference," he said. "To win the Champion Hurdle definitely outranks everything else she's done."
Full Day One Cheltenham Results
The Champion Hurdle was far from the only highlight. The day's racing began in the Sky Bet Supreme Novices' Hurdle, where Old Park Star edged past Sober Glory and Mydaddypaddy in a British 1-2-3. The Arkle saw Kargese steal the show to get Mullins on the board early, beating favourites Lulamba and Kopek Des Bordes.
Johnnywho at 18/1 took the Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase, with Jagwar second and Quebecois third. Madara won the Sun Racing Plate at 3/1, and Holloway Queen landed the National Hunt Chase at 12/1.
Nicky Henderson bookended the day with a second triumph as James Bowen landed his first ever Cheltenham winner on Holloway Queen in the National Hunt Steeplechase.
Cheltenham Festival Day Two: Champion Chase in Focus
Wednesday brings Ladies Day back to the Festival after a seven-year absence — and a card stacked with Grade 1 quality. The BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase at 4:00 p.m. is the headline act, supported by the Turners Novices' Hurdle, the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase, and the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.
Majborough is the odds-on favourite for the Champion Chase, with the winner of Wednesday's feature race set to collect close to £250,000. His route to the race has not been without drama — he was widely considered the moral winner of last year's Arkle after a jumping error at the second-last fence cost him the race. He arrives here with a point to prove and his jumping markedly improved this season.
Il Etait Temps and L'Eau du Sud are among the principal threats to Majborough in the Champion Chase. L'Eau du Sud won the Shloer Chase in November over the same course and distance, though his form against these rivals over a stronger Grade 1 trip gives punters pause.
Going and Conditions at Cheltenham
Showers and sunny spells were forecast until 11 a.m. on Wednesday, with highs of 11°C expected and a nighttime low of 7°C. The ground remains Good to Soft on the Old Course, and with a large number of runners declared across the card, the going underfoot will be closely monitored through the afternoon.
Cheltenham's capacity was expanded to 66,000 last year, with attendance on day one coming in around 9,000 short of that figure — but still up on last year's opening day numbers.
The Prestbury Cup, tracking Ireland against Britain across the Festival's 28 races, already shows Mullins' stable off to a dominant start. Racing Post tipsters have flagged the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase and the Grand Annual as the day's trickiest handicap puzzles alongside the headline Grade 1 clashes.
Mullins saddles runners in each of the four Grade 1 contests on Wednesday's card. Whether Majborough can deliver where other odds-on favourites have crumbled in the Champion Chase is the defining question of the week so far.
