Punters thrilled to be back at Cheltenham - and get the first winner up before racing begins

Punters rejoiced at being back at Cheltenham on Friday and felt they had bagged an early winner amid fears of a price rise, with the cost of a pint of Guinness remaining unchanged at £7.50.

Cheltenham serves up the most expensive pint of Guinness at any racecourse in Britain, and the track's pricing structure came under fire when racegoers discovered the price was upped by 50p in advance of the seasonal curtain-raiser this time last year. It is up from £6 in 2020, a 25 per cent increase.

Yet the talk on course before racing on Friday was a lack of price increases at Cheltenham, which was met with positivity from racegoers who were delighted to be back at the home of jump racing.

Racing returned at Cheltenham on Friday, with the opener won by Our ChampCredit: Edward Whitaker

Harry Jones, from Gloucester, said: "It's great to be back, I like this meeting as it's not as busy as the festival and you usually get a few good horses to follow for the rest of the season.

"I was surprised the Guinness hadn't gone up – everything seems to be costing more at the moment. It's expensive to go out now."

Andrew Temperton, from Shropshire, said: "We were talking about the prices on the way down, how they've gone up at other courses, but it's good it's stayed the same. There was talk about it being cheaper here at the snooker too but it's good.

"I'm thrilled to be back at Cheltenham, the sun's out and I'm looking forward to it. We're starting again, it's a new season and I can't wait. I'll catch up with some old friends and it should be a good day."

Punters in the stands enjoy the first race of the season at CheltenhamCredit: Edward Whitaker

Phil Higgins and a group of schoolfriends have been coming to Cheltenham for over 20 years and got a minibus down to Warwick to enjoy the afternoon's action.

"Cheltenham's easy to get to from us and it's a great place to come racing. We like this meeting, we used to do Gold Cup day but it's got too busy and we've got older. The weather's out and we'll enjoy the day."

Cheltenham is expecting a bumper crowd on Saturday with more than 6,000 students, from events organisers Invades, set to be in attendance in the Best Mate enclosure.

Racing returns at Cheltenham:

'He looked a long way ahead of his mark' - Paul Kealy with four selections as racing returns to Cheltenham 

4.30 Cheltenham: 'We've had the jockey booked for six weeks' - Cheltenham specialist back for more in amateur handicap 

Get set for the jumps! Join Members' Club now with 50% off just in time for the Big Jump Off and our brilliant stable tours 

The jumps season is coming! Pick up your copy of The Big Jump Off, out now and packed with everything you need for the 2023-24 National Hunt season. Our brilliant 72-page supplement, including ante-post tips, guest columnists, top trainer profiles, divisional analysis and much more, is available to order from the Racing Post shop here.