2025 Cheltenham Festival: Day One Review

Here, we will be taking a look back at what was a tremendous first day of racing at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

The much anticipated 2025 Cheltenham Festival began on Tuesday 11th March 2025, and it was a day full of enthralling racing with an incredible atmosphere to boot on the day.

The first day, known as Champion Day, opened with the Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, which was a race that had been named in tribute to the highly revered jockey Michael O’Sullivan who sadly passed away back in February 2025.

This was the first of as many as seven races, including the My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy, the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle, the Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy, as well as the latest running of the Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase, which completed the action for the day. It brought what had been an incredible day of enthralling action to a dramatic close.

Here, we are going to be taking a look back at all of the action from all of the seven races that took place at Cheltenham Racecourse on the opening day of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival. We will start with the aforementioned Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle on the afternoon of Tuesday 11th March 2025.

Racing Highlights

Below are some highlights of the action from day one of the 2025 Cheltenham Festival at the iconic and historic Cheltenham Festival:

Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle

We start with the race that opened the action, the Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices Hurdle, where before proceedings in this race got underway, there were heartfelt and emotional tributes to the late jockey. At the 2023 Cheltenham Festival, O’Sullivan won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle respectively with Marine Nationale and Jazzy Matty respectively.

Back to the 2025 Michael O’Sullivan Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, it was the pre-race favourite Kopek Des Bordes, ridden by Jockey Paul Townend and trained by the great Willie Mullins, who came out on top ahead of the likes of Sean Flanagan’s William Munny in second place, whilst Jack Kennedy had to settle for a third place finish in the end in order to round off the top three.

My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase

We now will move on to the 2025 running of the famous My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase at the historic Cheltenham Racecourse. The winner of this race back in 2024 was Gaelic Warrior, who was ridden by Jockey Paul Townend, and was trained by the great Willie Mullins.

Fast forward to the latest running of this race, and it Jango Baie, ridden by Nico de Boinville, and trained by Nicky Henderson who came out on top. Pre-race favourite Majborough, ridden by Mark Walsh, whilst it was Keith Donoghue and Only The Night who came away from this race with what was a second place finish in the end.

Ultima Handicap Chase

Next up on the opening day of the latest Cheltenham Festival was the Ultima Handicap Chase, and back in 2024 it was Chianti Classico who, ridden by David Bass and trained by Kim Bailey won the race, which had followed two successive wins by Corach Rambler.

The winner of the 2025 Ultima Handicap Chase was the day’s second winner who was the pre-race favourite, with it Patrick Wadge’s Myretown who came out on top to win this particular race at Cheltenham Racecourse. The Lucinda Russell trained horse was able to fend off some stern competition from the likes of Brendan Powell’s The Changing Man, Keith Donoghue’s Malina Girl, and Jonathan Burke’s Happygolucky, who all finished in second, third, and fourth place respectively.

Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle

It was the 2025 running of the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle which followed the Ultima Handicap Chase at the most recent Cheltenham Festival. The 2024 winner of the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle was Lossiemouth, who was ridden by jockey Paul Townend, whilst also having been trained by Willie Mullins.

In the 2025 edition of this race, pre-race favourite Lossiemouth most certainly did not disappoint, putting in a performance that more than justified the optimism of victory pre-race. It was a second win in as many years for Townend and Mullins, who may be targeting a third in a row in 2026.

In second place it was Danny Mullins’ Jade De Grugy who came in second place, whilst it was Harry Skelton and Take No Chances, who in the end, had to settle for a third place finish in order to round off the top three.

Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy

We will now be moving on to the third to last race of the day, which was the 2025 Unibet Champion Hurdle Challenge Trophy. The reigning winner of this race was State Man, who was guided to victory by jockey Paul Townend and trainer Willie Mullins.

State Man was one of two favourites for the 2025 Unibet Champion Hurdle alongside Nico de Boinville’s Constitution Hill. However, both of them fell meaning that they would not win the race – and so it was a shock winner in the form of Golden Ace, ridden by Lorcan Williams, and trained by Jeremy Scott who came out on top in the end instead.

Sam Twiston-Davies came in second place in the end, whilst it was Brian Hayes’ Winter Fog who came in third, who had to settle for this position in order to round off the top three in this race.

Hallgarten And Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle

Then came the sixth and penultimate race of the day, which came in the form of the 2025 Hallgarten And Novum Wines Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham. The previous winner of this race had been Jockey JJ Slevin who was on board Lark In The Mornin who had been trained by Joseph O’Brien.

In 2025, it was Puturhandstogether who came out on top ahead of Robbies Rock ridden by Conor Stone-Walsh in second place, as well as Sam Twiston-Davies, who was on board Liam Swagger in a third place finish in the end.

Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase

Now, we have come to the seventh and final race of what had been an epic and enthralling opening day of action at the iconic and historic Cheltenham Racecourse at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, which was the Princess Royal National Hunt Challenge Cup Novices’ Handicap Chase. The previous winner had been Derek O’Connor, who was on board Corbetts Cross, who was a horse that had been trained by Emmet Mullins.

In 2025, it was Ben Jones and Haiti Couleurs who came out on top on this occasion as the most recent winner of this race, with this Rebecca Curtis trained horse had been victorious ahead of the likes of  Brendan Powell’s Rock My Way in second place, whilst it was Jack Kennedy on Will Do who came away with a third place finish overall in the end.

All eyes are now on the second day of action at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, where there are going to be another seven enthralling races for horse racing fans all around the world to enjoy.

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