They’re off, as staying power is put to the test

FISH and chips at ten in the morning and Guinness by 11. When racegoers at Cheltenham talk about the need for stamina, it isn’t the horses they’re thinking of.

The first day of racing at Prestbury Park tested even the hardiest of constitutions.

Because, of course, the first day of the festival wasn’t the first at all. That began somewhere between the airport, the taxi rank and the hotel bar the night before.