The Cheltenham November Meeting 2026 runs from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November. It is the course’s second fixture of the season after the October Showcase, and the Paddy Power Gold Cup on Saturday and the Greatwood Hurdle on Sunday are two of the biggest jumps handicaps of the autumn. This guide covers the dates, the feature races on each day and how the meeting works. It is part of our horse racing guides series.
When is the Cheltenham November Meeting 2026?
Cheltenham bills the meeting as three themed days. Race times below are from the course’s published schedule and the Racing Post racecards, checked on 9 November, and can still change.
- Friday 13 November, Countryside Day: six races from 13:10 to 16:00, with the Shloer Chase at 14:20.
- Saturday 14 November, Super Saturday: seven races from 12:35 to 16:00, with the Paddy Power Gold Cup at 14:20.
- Sunday 15 November, Carnival Sunday: six races from 12:50 to 15:45, with the Greatwood Hurdle at 15:10. A Shetland pony race opens the day at 12:15.
If you followed the October fixture, our Cheltenham Showcase runner guide covers several horses who could reappear here.
Which course is used at the November Meeting?
Cheltenham has two main tracks side by side, the Old Course and the New Course, plus a cross-country course inside them. The Showcase, the November Meeting and the first two days of the Cheltenham Festival are run on the Old Course, and the Racing Post card lists the Greatwood on the Old Course.
Both tracks are left-handed and undulating, with stiff fences and a last half-mile that runs uphill. The Old Course is the sharper of the two, and Timeform notes that prominent racers often fare well on the chase course, so a horse that travels and jumps well near the pace tends to be suited.
Friday: the Shloer Chase and Countryside Day
The Shloer Chase (Grade 2, registered as the Cheltenham Chase) is a two-mile conditions chase for horses rated 120 or more, run at 14:20 over 1m7f199y. Jonbon won it in 2023 and 2024, and L’eau Du Sud took the 2025 running.
The rest of the card includes the Listed Paddy Power Novices’ Chase over 3m1f at 13:45 and the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle over 2m5f at 15:30, registered as the Hyde. Those two give an early look at staying novices who may be aimed at the Festival in March.
Saturday: the Paddy Power Gold Cup
The Paddy Power Gold Cup at 14:20 is the centrepiece of the meeting. It is a Premier Handicap chase over 2m4f44y for four-year-olds and upwards, worth £160,000 guaranteed, and it drew 41 entries this year. Our guide to what a Premier Handicap is explains where races like this sit in the jumps programme.
The race was first run in 1960 as the Mackeson Gold Cup and kept that name until 1995. Paddy Power sponsored it from 2003 to 2015, BetVictor took over in 2016 and Paddy Power returned in 2020. The last three winners:
- 2023: Stage Star (Paul Nicholls), 11st 7lb
- 2024: Il Ridoto (Paul Nicholls), 9st 13lb
- 2025: Panic Attack (Dan Skelton), 11st 1lb
Saturday also has two Grade 2 trials. The JCB Triumph Trial at 13:10, registered as the Prestbury Juvenile Hurdle, is for three-year-olds, so our guide to novice and juvenile hurdles is useful background. The Paddy Power Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial at 13:45, registered as the November Novices’ Chase, is a two-mile race for novice chasers. The day ends with a Listed mares’ bumper at 16:00.
Sunday: the Greatwood Hurdle
The Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at 15:10 is Sunday’s feature: a Premier Handicap over 2m87y with eight hurdles and £100,000 guaranteed. It is named after Greatwood, a charity for retired racehorses, and drew 44 entries this year for a maximum field of 20.
- 2023: Iberico Lord (Nicky Henderson)
- 2024: Burdett Road (James Owen)
- 2025: Alexei (Joe Tizzard), the 100/30 favourite in an 18-runner field on soft ground
Sunday also includes the Oddschecker Handicap Chase over 3m3½f, another Premier Handicap, at 14:35. The meeting closes with a Listed bumper at 15:45.
How the big handicaps work
Both feature handicaps follow the usual path of entries, then a confirmation stage, then final declarations shortly before the race. The race conditions set Monday 9 November as the confirmation date for both, so expect the entry lists to shrink before the final fields are declared.
Each race also carries a late penalty. A horse that wins a chase after 1 November picks up 5lb for the Paddy Power Gold Cup, and a horse that wins a hurdle after 1 November picks up 5lb for the Greatwood, though no penalty can take a horse above 12st. A recent winner can therefore run off a higher weight than its published mark suggests.
What the going could mean
On 9 November the official going was good, good to firm in places (GoingStick 6.7), and the course was watering. That is quicker ground than last year, when Alexei won the Greatwood on soft.
The going can change a lot in a few days in November, so check the final description on race morning. Our explainer on how the going affects form covers what each description means. Full cards and runners will be on our daily racecards page once the fields are declared.
If you are following the jumps through the winter, the free jumps ebook offered in the sign-up box on this site includes horses to follow.
Cheltenham November Meeting FAQ
When is the Cheltenham November Meeting 2026?
Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026. Racing starts at 13:10 on Friday, 12:35 on Saturday and 12:50 on Sunday, after the 12:15 Shetland pony race.
What time is the Paddy Power Gold Cup?
14:20 on Saturday 14 November. It is run over 2m4f44y on the Old Course.
When is the Greatwood Hurdle?
15:10 on Sunday 15 November, over 2m87y on the Old Course.
Which course is used at the November Meeting?
The Old Course, which is also used for the October Showcase and the first two days of the Cheltenham Festival.
Is Cheltenham left-handed?
Yes. Both the Old and New courses are left-handed, with an uphill finish.
Sources: checked on 9 November 2026 against Cheltenham Racecourse’s November Meeting pages, the Racing Post racecards for 13 November and 14 November, the Greatwood Hurdle racecard, the Racing Post’s 2025 Greatwood report and Wikipedia’s pages on the Paddy Power Gold Cup, Greatwood Hurdle, Shloer Chase, Cheltenham Racecourse and Timeform’s Cheltenham course guide. Times, going and fields can change, so check the official racecard before betting.
Header photo: “The Champion Hurdle” (Jezki leads over the last flight at Cheltenham, March 2014) by Carine06, CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped, darkened and with text added; the header image is shared under the same licence.
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