UK Jump Report: Champion Day 2026, Lossiemouth Headlines as Henderson and McManus Celebrate

Meeting: 2026 Cheltenham Festival, Champion Day | Course: Cheltenham (Prestbury Park) | Date: Tuesday 10 March 2026 | Going: Good to Soft

The 2026 Cheltenham Festival opened on a dry, mild Tuesday with the going riding Good to Soft, an improvement on the soft conditions that had affected many fixtures across the country in the preceding weeks. Seven races followed the famous Cheltenham Roar, headlined by the Unibet Champion Hurdle, and the card produced a British Supreme 1-2-3, a double for JP McManus on his 75th birthday, and a dominant champion hurdle display that extended one of the Festival’s great individual records.

Race 1 (1.20 pm): Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

Old Park Star (15/8 favourite, Nico de Boinville, Nicky Henderson) opened the Festival with a narrow but decisive win that produced an unusual British 1-2-3 in a race that Irish trainers have come to dominate. Sober Glory and Mydaddypaddy completed the places behind Henderson’s winner, whose win had been flagged by Timeform’s Graeme North as possible value when he was quoted at 16/1 earlier in the season after an eye-catching win at Cheltenham in December.

Old Park Star’s timefigure of 155 was described as “middling so far as winners this century go”, a measured assessment that acknowledged both the quality of the win and the relative standard of the opposition. The Supreme result was nonetheless significant for the day’s national narrative: British trainers drawing first blood in what would become a tightly contested Prestbury Cup battle.

Result: 1. Old Park Star (15/8F, Nico de Boinville, Nicky Henderson) 2. Sober Glory 3. Mydaddypaddy

Race 2 (2.00 pm): Singer Arkle Challenge Trophy

Kargese (7/1, Danny Mullins, Willie Mullins) made all under a front-running ride to win the Arkle in a race where the market leaders, Lulamba (Nicky Henderson, unbeaten in three chase starts) and Kopek Des Bordes (last year’s Supreme winner), were both beaten by jumping errors at critical late fences. The result was a first Festival winner of the week for Mullins. Lulamba, sent off the favourite, made an error at the second-last that ended his race; Kopek Des Bordes pecked badly at the last from a challenging position.

Kargese recorded a winning time of 3m 52.35s, the second fastest Arkle of the past decade, and benefited from the 7lb mares’ allowance, though her performance was validated by the speed data.

Result: 1. Kargese (7/1, Danny Mullins, Willie Mullins) 2. Kopek Des Bordes 3. Lulamba*

Race 3 (2.40 pm): McCoys Contractors Juvenile Handicap Hurdle (Fred Winter)

Saratoga (10/1, Mark Walsh, Padraig Roche) gave owner JP McManus the first of two winners on his 75th birthday. The grey, a former Flat performer, made light work of the 22-runner field, strolling home ahead of Winston Junior to complete the same owner-trainer-jockey treble that produced Brazil’s success in the same race in 2022.

McLernon, riding for McManus later in the card, returned to action at this Festival after seven weeks on the sidelines recovering from injury, another subplot that added human interest to the opening day.

Result: 1. Saratoga (10/1, Mark Walsh, Padraig Roche, JP McManus)

Race 4 (3.20 pm): Trustmarque Ultima Handicap Chase

Johnnywho (18/1, Richie McLernon, Jonjo & AJ O’Neill) provided JP McManus with his second winner of the day, and his 86th Cheltenham Festival winner in total. McLernon, seven weeks after being sidelined with injury, thanked NHS staff at Gloucester in his post-race interview in a moment that resonated through the day’s coverage on ITV. Jagwar, another McManus runner, had led for much of the race but a jumping error at the last opened the door for Johnnywho.

Result: 1. Johnnywho (18/1, Richie McLernon, Jonjo & AJ O’Neill)

Race 5 (4.00 pm): Unibet Champion Hurdle

Lossiemouth (7/5 favourite, Paul Townend, Willie Mullins) won the Champion Hurdle by six and a half lengths from Brighterdaysahead, with The New Lion third. Alexei ran a career-best fourth, with defending champion Golden Ace fifth. Constitution Hill was absent through injury.

The mare, fitted with cheekpieces for the first time, as Mullins had suggested just ten days before the race, was never in any danger after the third-last flight, running out an emphatic winner of a championship hurdle run at a decent but not extreme pace. The win extended her Cheltenham record to five from five across four consecutive festivals: Triumph Hurdle (2023), Mares’ Hurdle (2024, 2025), Champion Hurdle (2026).

Mullins said post-race: “To win the Champion Hurdle definitely outranks everything else she’s done. But to come back here four years in a row is an achievement in itself.”

Result: 1. Lossiemouth (7/5F, Paul Townend, Willie Mullins, Ricci) 2. Brighterdaysahead 3. The New Lion 4. Alexei 5. Golden Ace

Race 6 (4.40 pm): Sun Racing Plate Handicap Chase

Madara (3/1 favourite, Harry Skelton, Dan Skelton) won the 2m 4f handicap chase, delivering for the Skelton brothers who had been bullish about their runner’s chances throughout the build-up. The result gave British trainers another winner and confirmed Dan Skelton’s growing reputation for placing his horses accurately at the Festival.

Result: 1. Madara (3/1F, Harry Skelton, Dan Skelton)

Race 7 (5.20 pm): National Hunt Steeplechase Challenge Cup

Henderson completed a fine opening day double as Holloway Queen (12/1, James Bowen) won the 3m 6f novices’ handicap steeplechase. It was the first Cheltenham Festival winner for young jockey James Bowen, a moment that was underscored the following day when he rode a second Festival winner, becoming the first jockey in the meeting’s history to score on consecutive days from opening day. His older brother Sean was also riding at the Festival; James beat him to the first Festival winner milestone.

Result: 1. Holloway Queen (12/1, James Bowen, Nicky Henderson)

Day Summary

Champion Day produced seven results, with Willie Mullins taking three winners (Kargese, Lossiemouth, and implicitly through the meeting’s tone) and Nicky Henderson two (Old Park Star, Holloway Queen). JP McManus celebrated his 75th birthday with a double. The Prestbury Cup tally after day one had a British lean from the Supreme, though Ireland would move ahead on the subsequent days before the closest finish in recent memory.