THE NOVEMBER MEETING 11-13 NOVEMBER
I f it is The Showcase that gets Many of the sport’s biggest names have participated at The November Meeting over the years, including the greatest of them all, three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup victor Arkle. And since he won a novices’ chase on his Cheltenham debut at the fixture all the way back in 1962, plenty more legends have followed suit. The amazing Sprinter Sacre began his fairytale comeback, which would culminate in a second victory in the Cheltenham’s season underway, it is at The November Meeting that Jump racing really steps up a gear. Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, when winning the Shloer Chase on the Sunday in 2015. And in more recent times, the likes of dual Randox Grand National victor Tiger Roll and the dual Festival heroine Put The Kettle On have been seen in action. Centre stage at The November Meeting is the first major contest of the Jump season – the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Run over an extended two-and-a-half miles on the Saturday, and first staged back in 1960, the roll of honour for the Grade Three handicap chase features some legendary performers, including Champion Chase heroes Fortria and Dunkirk, and Grand National winner Gay Trip. Such is its competitive and valuable nature, the Paddy Power Gold Cup can be
explains: “I’m sure it is emotional for most jockeys, but it is especially emotional for me to have retired and come back and do all this for my family. To come down and ride these big winners is amazing. “I was very positive and that is how I rode him and that is how he has gone and done it. There are no plans to retire – I’ve got a good ten years in me yet!” The November Meeting is far more than just one race, though, with high-quality Graded action taking place on each of the three days. Another of Saturday’s highlights is the Grade Two Novices’ Chase over two miles, which serves as a trial for the Grade One Sporting Life Arkle Novices’ Chase at The Festival. Subsequent three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup scorer Best Mate won this contest in 2000, while both Azertyuiop (2002) and Put The Kettle On (2019) both went on to Arkle success later in the campaign. Friday is Countryside Day with an array of rural-themed activities around the racecourse. It is on Countryside Day that Cheltenham’s unique Cross Country
used as a starting point for horses with higher aspirations. For example, Long Run was third in the 2010 renewal, before going on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup later in the same season. Unusually for a big-race at Cheltenham, Irish raiders have a relatively modest record in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, with just five successful since its inception and none since Tranquil Sea in 2009. Tranquil Sea also has the distinction of being the last favourite to succeed, and overall, just 14 of the 62 runnings (22.5 per cent) have gone to the market leader, so punters who study the form rather than simply backing the favourite are often rewarded. The 2022 renewal saw the prize go north for the first time in 14 years, when the Sue Smith-trained Midnight Shadow (9-1) landed the spoils under Grand National-winning jockey Ryan Mania by three-quarters of a length from 11-2 Favourite Protektorat. For Mania, who had previously retired in 2014, only to return to the saddle five years later, it was a milestone success. He
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