AFTER a two-year wait, the record opening day crowd at Cheltenham had high expectations and, for once, the occasion lived up to all the hype.

Greeted by a beautiful sunny spring day, racegoers poured into the track in their thousands from 10.30am, everyone in top form, delighted to be back. All the usual suspects turned up – the older tweeds, the younger Peaky Blinders boys, but mostly it’s middle-aged men ‘on the lash’ for the week.

I know we’re not supposed to mention Covid and Cheltenham in the same sentence but let’s just say there was not a mask to be seen and the hand santizer stations were binned long ago.

Within an hour of the gates opening the countless bars, pop-up restuarants, marquees and shopping villages were a hive of activity, full of excited chatter.

“Henderson says his horse is a freak.”

“Honeysuckle is drifting this morning. I wonder did she travel okay?”

“Paul Townend says Gaelic Warrior is his best chance today.”

The stands are full 20 minutes before the first race. The Supreme runners are cheered as they canter to the start and the buzz intensifies. A false start elicits a few jeers but a few seconds later the flag goes down, the tape springs back and the crowd roars to mark the start of this unique event.

And what a way to begin. Newspapers, scarves, pints and flat caps go skyward as Constitution Hill strolls to a 22-length success. The sun is shining and the favourite has won the first.

The days gets better – or worse if you are a bookie – when Edwardstone overcomes all kinds of assassination attempts to win the Arkle. Another favourite, lads. Gangs of well-dressed guys no older than 21 embrace each other like football players after a winning goal. “How much have we running on to Honeysuckle now?”

An hour later the noise levels reach new heights when Rachael sends the mighty mare to the front at the second last flight in the Champion Hurdle. They scream.

“GO ON, RACHAEL, GO ON!”

“COME ON, HONEYSUCKLE!”

But wait, it’s not over yet. There’s a few coming out of the pack. She needs a good jump at the last to seal it .

YES. They’re over and not for catching now. They might have won in silence last year but now the cheers are deafening and there’s even a tear or two.

Winning comes as a huge relief to connections but you suspect it’s also a huge release for those watching. We’re back, it’s live, it’s racing history and it’s unfolding in front of our eyes. A special moment to archive in the memory. A perfect day.

It’s also a perfect result for Jockey Club Racecourses, who appointed Rachael Blackmore as an ambassador for the region at the start of this season. Rachael’s image is plastered all over many of the corporate hospitality areas, where thousands are entertained daily, many of whom probably never even see a horse during the day.

Add a fifth day? They’d be mad not to, quite honestly. You could stick Wolverhampton on the big screens and you’d still pack these plastic pods with punters. The sheer scale of the Festival is almost overwhelming. Punchestown is the closest thing we have but multiply that by four or five, in terms of tented clientele.

According to the Cheltenham website, hospitality packages start at £690 (€820) per person. Can that be correct? Who could afford that? Whatever the cost, it’s not cheap and there were a few grumbles from the ordinary racegoers too about prices.

A pint of Guinness was £7, Carling £6.90 and food wasn’t cheap either. Just as well a few favourites won.