Founder & Editor · Last reviewed 2026-10-08
Looking for the current Cheltenham November Meeting?
Our live guide has 2026+ racetimes, TV coverage and runners as they're confirmed.
See the Cheltenham November Meeting live hubThe meeting in one screen
Cheltenham's November Meeting starts on Friday 13 November 2026 and runs for three days, with the Paddy Power Gold Cup on the Saturday and the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle on the Sunday. This page is where our tips for the meeting live: what has won the Paddy Power Gold Cup, how to approach a big Cheltenham handicap, and where to bet once the runners are known.
Both feature races are handicaps, so the weights are set to give every runner a chance. That makes them harder to solve than a small-field Grade 1, and it makes the bookmaker's terms (places, best odds guaranteed) matter more than usual.
In this guide
- What wins the Paddy Power Gold Cup
- How to bet a big Cheltenham handicap
- Where to bet
- Frequently asked questions
For the dates, the day-by-day schedule, off times and the recent winners table, see the Cheltenham November Meeting race guide.
A word on what this page is and is not. This far out there are no declared runners, so there are no named selections here yet. The AI Lab's daily card publishes the model's ratings for every British race on the morning of racing, and its track record shows how it has done, losers included. The trends below narrow a field; they are not a forecast.
Where to Bet
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What wins the Paddy Power Gold Cup
The Paddy Power Gold Cup is a Premier Handicap chase over 2m 4½f on the Old Course, for horses aged four and over. It is fast for its trip: a winner has to jump quickly and accurately and still have enough left for the climb to the line.
The trends
Winning age
- 7yo
- 33%
- 9yo
- 33%
- 8yo
- 17%
- 5yo
- 8%
Age known for 12 of 12 winners (2014–2025)
Market
- Started favourite
- 10%
- Won at 10/1 or bigger
- 40%
- Won at 5/1 or shorter
- 20%
Starting price known for 10 of 12 winners (2014–2025)
Trainers & jockeys
- Most successful trainer
- Paul Nicholls (3)
12 runnings (2014–2025)
The profile to look for
- Age five to nine. Every winner from 2014 to 2025 fell in that band. A ten-year-old or older is opposing the pattern of the last twelve runnings.
- A sharp, well-handicapped chaser. This is an intermediate trip on a fast-run course, and the winners' record describes a quick, accurate jumper on a fair mark rather than a dour stayer.
- The Nicholls stable. Paul Nicholls trained three of the twelve winners from 2014 to 2025 (Caid Du Berlais, Stage Star and Il Ridoto), more than any other trainer in that period.
The 2025 double
Panic Attack won in 2025 for Dan Skelton and then won the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury a fortnight later, the first mare to complete that double. A good run here can be the start of a winter campaign rather than its peak, so watch the beaten horses as well as the winner.
The full winners table, with trainers and jockeys, is on the meeting race guide.
How to bet a big Cheltenham handicap
Why handicaps are hard to call
The handicapper's job is to give every runner an equal chance, and in a well-framed race the weights get close. That is what makes these races hard to call, and backing the favourite blind is no shortcut: our Lab tested it on real British handicaps in do favourites win in handicaps?, and the favourite still loses money over time.
Places matter more than price
In a big-field handicap, how many places a bookmaker pays each way can matter more than a point or two on the price. The Lab worked through the same horses and races paid at different place terms in each-way at the big handicaps. The short version: before you back anything each way, check how many places are on offer, and take the extra place where one is available.
Know what you are paying
Every price includes the bookmaker's margin, and it is usually bigger in a large field. What betting really costs shows how big that margin is across British racing. It does not mean you cannot win a bet, only that over many bets the margin works against you.
A simple way in
- Start from the trends above: age, profile and stable.
- Read the declared field's recent form and the going once it is known.
- Back fewer horses at better terms rather than covering half the field.
- Set a stake for the whole meeting before Friday's first race and stick to it.
Where to bet
Where to bet on the meeting
Our Cheltenham betting offers page compares what our verified partners offer for racing at the course. For the Saturday and Sunday handicaps, two terms count for more than the size of a welcome bonus:
- Extra places. Our extra places guide explains how they work and what to check in the terms.
- Best odds guaranteed. Handicap prices move in the last hour before the off. A BOG bookmaker pays the starting price if it is bigger than the price you took.
For a wider comparison, see our free bet offers and the best bookmakers for horse racing.
After the meeting
The Paddy Power Gold Cup and Greatwood results go on the meeting race guide within 24 hours, and every race's result is on our racing results page the same evening.
Responsible note
Three days of racing at Cheltenham is easy to overcommit to. Decide a budget before Friday and treat any free bet as a bonus on a bet you would have made anyway, not a reason to bet bigger. Over time the odds favour the bookmaker, however well you know the horses. If betting stops being fun, BeGambleAware offers free, confidential support on 0808 8020 133. 18+, please gamble responsibly.
Frequently asked questions
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