Cheltenham November Meeting: Race List & Meeting Info

Day One Races - Countryside Day

Amateur Riders' Handicap Chase

Class 3, 3m1f

A race in which the title tells you practically everything important, this is a handicap steeplechase for amateur riders. The handicap nature of the event means that the handicappers assign weights to horses according to their ability, theoretically making the race as fair and even as possible.

In terms of the event that takes place during the November Meeting at Cheltenham, it is a Class 3 offering for horses aged four and over with a rating of between 0 and 140. Run over three miles and one furlong on the Old Course, it features twenty jumps and the prize money sits close to the £16,000 mark.

Novices' Handicap Hurdle

Class 3, 2m½f

Sponsored by Swanee River Supports the Countryside Alliance, this race is another handicap offering and is for novices. Run over hurdles, it is for horses aged three and over that have a rating of between 0 and 125. The distance of the race is two miles and eighty-seven yards, with eight hurdles to jump during the running of the Class 3 event.

BetVictor Handicap Chase

Class 2, 2m

As the name suggests, this race is sponsored by BetVictor. You’d be forgiven for getting confused over the race, given that there are two run during the meeting that bear the same name. The one on Day Two of the November Meeting is a Grade 3 offering, whereas this one is a Class 2 race that is for horses aged four and over.

Participating horses need to have a rating of between 0 and 150, with the handicap chase taking place over one mile, seven furlongs and one hundred and ninety-nine yards. The prize money stands at more than £27,000 and there are twelve fences for the participants to contend with during the race’s running.

Novices' Chase

Class 2, 2m4f

Open to novice chasers aged four and over, the Steel Plate And Sections Novices’ Chase is run on the Old Course over two miles, four furlongs and forty-four yards. With prize money in excess of £15,000, the steeplechase has sixteen fences for the horses to get over if they’re hoping to be declared the winner.

Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase

Class 2, 3m6f

Sponsored by Glenfarclas at the time of writing, this is the only race of the day that doesn’t take part on the Old Course. Instead it sees the action shift over to Cheltenham’s Cross Country Course, where horses aged five and over are given weight to carry according to their ability by the handicappers.

Taking place over three miles, six furlongs and thirty-seven yards, the event boasts thirty-two fences that will challenge the participants in terms of both stamina and jumping ability. A Class 2 event, if the Going is Good then you can expect the action to reach a climax after around eight minutes and ten seconds or so.

Ballymore Novices' Hurdle

Grade 2, 2m5f

Whilst all races are definitely worth watching, it’s the final race on day one that that many consider to be the most interesting. First run in 1996, it was promoted to Grade 2 when it was given its current name in 2008.

Lasting for more than two miles and featuring ten hurdles during its running, it is open to horses aged four and over that are still novices, it’s a race that many punters like to keep an eye on in order to get an inkling of what might happen during the Novices’ Hurdle that takes place during the Cheltenham Festival. There are a few weight things to draw your attention to, which are as follows:

• Weight: 11 stone
• 7 pound allowance for mares and fillies
• 5 pound penalty for winners of Class 1 weight-for-age hurdle races
• 3 pound penalty for winners of Class 2 weight-for-age or Class 1 handicap hurdle races

Day Two Races - Gold Cup Day

Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle

Grade 2, 2m5f

This race is for novice hurdlers that are three-years-old and it lasts for around two miles and half a furlong. There are eight hurdles that competitors will need to navigate. It is a Grade 2 race and has been since it achieved that status back 2004. It boasts a weight system worth knowing about, which is as follows:

• Weight: 10 stone 12 pounds
• Fillies and mares get a 7 pound allowance
• There’s a 5 pound penalty for horses that have won a Class 1 weight-for-age hurdle
• There’s a 3 pound penalty for horses that have won either a Class 2 weight-for-age or a Class 1 handicap hurdle

Novices' Chase

Grade 2, 2m½f

At the time of writing the event is sponsored by Mallard Jewellers and is a steeplechase for novices. They’ll have to jump nineteen fences during the three miles and eighty yards of the course, with the race being open to horses aged five and over. Prize money of more than £15,000 is on offer for this Class 2 race.

BetVictor Handicap Chase

Class 2, 3m½f

This is a race that has had many sponsors over the years, meaning that between 1987 and 1998 it was known as the Flowers Original Handicap Chase before becoming the Hoegaarden Handicap Chase in 1999. In 2012 it was briefly known as the Henrietta Knight Handicap Chase, which was a name given in honour of Henrietta Knight who trained the thee-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate and had not long retired at that point.

As the name suggests, this is a handicap offering for chasers that have a maximum weight of eleven stone and twelve pounds. Open to four-year-olds, it lasts for a distance of three miles, three furlongs and seventy-one yards. In 2018 the prize pot was £60,000 and just shy of £34,000 of that went to the winner. Stormez is the only horse to win it more than once at the time of writing, whilst Tony McCoy is the most successful jockey and Martin Pipe the leading trainer.

BetVictor Gold Cup

Grade 3, 3m3½f

Without doubt, the most important race on day two is the BetVictor Gold Cup, which comes slap bang in the middle of the race schedule. First run in 1960, it takes place over more than two miles and is a Grade 3 offering. There are fifteen fences to be run during it, with horses aged four and over eligible to participate. It’s a handicap race, so there are no specific weight requirements of restrictions as the handicapper does their best to level the playing field. Run left-handed, the purse for the race in 2018 was £160,000.

Despite its name, it’s a race that some like to watch out for if they’re hoping to place a bet on the Grand National that takes place at Aintree in April of the following year rather than the one of with the same moniker at Cheltenham in March. Gay Trip won the Gold Cup in 1969, the National in 1970 then the Gold Cup again in 1971. The Stable Plate Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival is also one that winners of this often go on to do well in.

Handicap Hurdle

Grade 3, 2m4f

This Listed event is named in honour of Big Buck’s, who managed to overcome the appalling grammar in his name to win a number of big races at Cheltenham Racecourse. Run over three miles, the race is sponsored by Regulatory Finance Solutions at the time of writing. It’s for horses aged four and over and features twelve hurdles.

Intermediate Handicap Hurdle

Listed, 3m

Currently sponsored by the betting company BetVictor, the Intermediate Handicap Hurdle is run on the Old Course over two miles and five furlongs. It’s for horses aged three and over that have a rating of between 0 and 140, with seven furlongs standing between them and the finishing line. The winner will take home around £15,000.

Mares' Standard Open NH Flat Race

Class 2, 2m5f

Few National Hunt meetings are complete without a National Hunt flat race being run in them at some point and the Cheltenham November Meeting is no exception. Another race that ‘does what it says on the tin’, this flat race is open to mares and fillies that are aged between four and six. The weight for the race is eleven stone and there’s a four pound penalty for horses that have won a Class 1 race.

Taking place over two miles and eighty-seven yards, the race is run left-handed around the Old Course. It lasts for about two miles and half a furlong and has had a number of different names since its inaugural running in 2013. Perhaps the most exciting outing to date came in 2016 when My Khaleesi and Irish Roe finished in a dead heat for jockeys Wayne Hutchinson and Graham Lee.

Day Three Races - November Meeting Sunday

Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle

Class 3, 2m5f

A Class 3 Qualifying race, the Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle is for horses aged three and over that boast a rating of between 0 and 125. It’s run over two miles and five furlongs, with ten hurdles to jump during that time. A popular race, don’t be surprised if there are as many as twenty horses in the field for this one.

Arkle Trophy Trial Novices' Chase

Class 2, 3m6f

Previously known as the Coventry Novices' Chase and classed as a Listed offering, it took on the moniker of the November Novices’ Chase when it was promoted to a Grade 2 race in 1994. It has enjoyed a few different sponsors over the years, such as The Independent newspaper between 2000 and 2011 and the Racing Post from 2012 onwards. When the Racing Post took it over they gave it the name of the Arkle Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase.

As the name tells you, this is a race for novice chasers. It is run on the Old Course over a distance of around one mile, seven furlongs and one hundred and ninety-nine yards. There are twelve fences that competitors will need to make their way over as smoothly as possible if they’re to have any chance of winning it. It’s for horses aged four and up, with the fact that it’s for novices meaning no horse has won it more than once. Jockeys have though, including Richard Dunwoody, Richard Johnson and Ruby Walsh, who have all won it four times at the time of writing.

Schloer Chase

Grade 2, 2m

Registered as the Cheltenham Chase, this race is currently known as the Shloer Chase because of sponsorship by the drinks company. It’s a Grade 2 offering that is for horses aged five and over and the race is run over one mile, seven furlongs and one hundred and ninety-nine yards. There are twelve fences to jump before horses will see the finish line.

The race has been sponsored by numerous companies over the years, beginning life as the Connaught Chase in 2009. It was known as the Sinbad Testimonial in 2010 / 2011 Chase, then took on its current moniker. A Conditions race at the start of its existence, it became a Listed offering in 2013 and was then promoted to Grade 2 two years later.

Greatwood Handicap Hurdle

Grade 2, 2m

The feature race of the final day for many and one which most of you will be wanting to watch considering the information it can provide for the Champion Hurdle later in the season. Despite running under numerous different titles over the years because of sponsorship deals, it is still known by most as the Greatwood Hurdle because of the sponsorship on behalf of the charity that works for the welfare of retired horses.

First run in 1987, the race is for horses aged four and up and lasts for two miles and eighty-seven yards. There are eight hurdles during its running and it’s a handicap offering. For a time it was a Listed race, but it was given its Grade 3 status in 2004 and its kept it ever since. No horse has won it more than once, but 2007 winner Sizing Europe went on to win the Queen Mother Champion Chase four years later. Perhaps another race to bear in mind for previous winners if you want to play the long game.

Supreme Trial Novices' Hurdle

Grade 3, 2m½f

The Sharp Novices' Hurdle is a Grade 2 race that is run over two miles and eighty-seven yards. It used to be run over two miles and was part of the December meeting at Cheltenham, being extended to two miles an a furlong in 1992 before being cut to the length that its currently run over two years later. That was also when it was moved to the November Meeting, where it has remained ever since.

Open to horses aged four and over, it takes place left-handed on the Old Course and has some weight information that you’ll be interested to know:

• Weight: 11 stone
• 7 pound allowance for fillies and mares
• There’s a 5 pound penalty for horses that have won a Class 1 weight-for-age hurdle race
• There’s a 3 pound penalty for horses that have won a Class 2 weight-for-age or a Class 1 handicap hurdle race

The Sharp Novices’ Hurdle is, as the name tells you, for novice hurdlers and they’ll need to be proficient enough to navigate its eight hurdles if they hope to cross the finish line before any of their rivals. Obviously no horse has won it more than once, given that in doing so they’d no longer be a novice, but seven different jockeys have. Each of Harry Cobden, Jamie Osborne, Richard Dunwoody, Richard Johnson, Ruby Walsh, Timmy Murphy and Tom Scudamore have won it twice at the time of writing.

Standard Open NH Flat Race

Grade 2, 2m½f

Run under the title of the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire and Racing Remember Standard Open National Hunt Flat, the Listed race is known to most simply as the National Hunt Flat Race. It’s a race without jumps that is run under National Hunt conditions, commonly referred to as a bumper. The race is open to horses aged between four and six years of age.

Run over two miles and eighty-seven yards, the event is a good chance for horses without much experience of major jump race meetings to get to grips with what is expected of them during such events. If the Going is Good then you can expect to be watching this race for about three minutes and fifty seconds, which is plenty of time to spot a potential future star.