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Ladies Day 2026
Ladies Day returned to The Cheltenham Festival as style and racing shared the spotlight. Off the track, Best Dressed Awards winners took home a prizes worth over £10,000 and some lucky racegoers won trips to Las Vegas, courtesy of BetMGM. Once the racing started, the drama picked up where Champion Day left off. Here’s how Ladies Day unfolded...
A LADIES DAY TREBLE FOR WILLIE MULLINS
Il Etait Temps came home the 10-length winner of the BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase to complete a Ladies Day treble for Willie Mullins. He’d opened the day with a 143-1 double following the success of Kitzbuhel (11-1) in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and King Rasko Grey (11-1) in the Turners Novices’ Hurdle.
Willie Mullins said: “I thought Paul was very brave on him because he couldn’t go the pace they were setting for the first mile; he sat and sat, and coming down the hill we could all see that the further he was going, the better he was going.”
Winning connections were presented with the trophy by Her Majesty The Queen who gave racegoers a wonderful surprise by attending Ladies Day.
1-3-4 FOR GAVIN CROMWELL IN THE CROSS COUNTRY
Final Orders (7-1) beat the Gordon Elliot trained Favori De Champdou (2-1 Fav) to win The Glenfarclas Cross Country Limited Handicap Chase for Gavin Cromwell for the second year in succession.
Vanillier, also trained by Cromwell took third, with last year’s winner, Stumptown, back in fourth to complete the 1-3-4.
Gavin Cromwell said: “I knew conditions would really suit Final Orders and Conor was very good on him. He ran really well on Trials Day but his wind isn’t so good on soft ground and we actually gave him a little wind surgery after that and it really worked for him. I was confident he was in great form and Conor gave him a brilliant ride.
MARTATOR CAUSES 66-1 SHOCK
The biggest shock of the 2026 Cheltenham Festival so far came in the Debenhams Johnny Henderson Grand Annual Handicap Chase as Martator (66-1) got up close home to beat last year’s winner Jazzy Matty (8-1) by a nose.
Successful trainer Venetia Williams said: “I’m pretty speechless, partly because I was screaming so much! I just can’t believe it. We could see he was coming and he was on the wide outside, which was always the plan as he’s only a pony. He met the last few on a great stride and winged them.”
“We put the half-cup blinkers on, thinking let’s just roll the dice. Charlie rode an amazing race – we just said, ‘Go your own pace, don’t worry about them as they’re going to go a million mph anyway’.”
Congratulations to the winners: Megan Cunniss - Best Race Goer Julie & Elin Harries - Best Duo Tanya Hockin & friends - Best group
St. Patrick's Thursday is where the spirit of Cheltenham meets the soul of Ireland, creating an unmatched festival atmosphere that’s both joyous and fiercely competitive.
