Tom Pitts' 'Under Starters Orders': Capturing the Pause Before the Race at Cheltenham
Tom Pitts, a British documentary photographer from Cheltenham, highlights the spectators at the Cheltenham Racecourse in his project titled 'Under Starters Orders', featured in The Raw Society Magazine in December 2025. This series captures the crowd's eager anticipation prior to the races, focusing on human details such as hands and expressions. Known for his 2023 series 'The Commute', which earned him the Street category award at the Hasselblad Masters 2023, Pitts deliberately turns away from the track to emphasize the emotions tied to waiting. In 2025, the Cheltenham Festival welcomed 218,839 visitors, with more than 68,000 attending on Gold Cup day. His work delves into the shared experience of waiting, transcending the realm of horse racing.
Key facts
- Tom Pitts is a British street and documentary photographer based in Cheltenham, UK.
- His project 'Under Starters Orders' focuses on the audience at Cheltenham Racecourse.
- The project was published in the fourth issue of The Raw Society Magazine in December 2025.
- The Cheltenham Festival is a four-day event in the UK's National Hunt season.
- In 2025, the festival recorded 218,839 total attendees, with over 68,000 on Gold Cup day.
- Pitts previously won the Street category at the Hasselblad Masters 2023 for his series 'The Commute'.
- 'The Commute' was created in Cheltenham and London during 2023.
- Pitts' work explores the moments of waiting and anticipation, rather than the race itself.
Entities
Artists
- Tom Pitts
Institutions
- The Raw Society Magazine
- Hasselblad Masters
Locations
- Cheltenham
- United Kingdom
- Cheltenham Racecourse
- London