Cheltenham's November meeting has undergone some major racecard changes - here's what you can expect this year

Cheltenham's November meeting has evolved significantly over the years, with races shifting days and Grade 2 trials replaced by maiden contests. Here’s a rundown of the key changes ahead of this weekend’s action…

Friday

The veterans’ chase replaces the traditional cross-country race. The BHA confirmed the cross-country event was cancelled this year due to quick conditions, with the track deemed unraceable. Watering since the Showcase meeting has been focused on ensuring the Old course was suitable for the three-day fixture.

The cross-country chase will instead take place on Trials day in January, while the veterans’ chase, lost from Wincanton’s abandoned card on October 26, fills its place on Friday’s programme.

That veterans’ event now opens the ITV4 coverage at 1.45, pushing the 3m1f novices’ chase to 2.20 – a race first switched to the Friday two years ago after previously being run on the Sunday.

Jonbon (Nico de Boinville) jumps the last fence and wins the Shloer Chase in 2023Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Another notable reshuffle came in 2023, when the Shloer Chase (2.55) was moved from Sunday to Friday. Since then, Jonbon has claimed both editions and bids for a hat-trick this year.

Saturday

Few races have changed position as often as the Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial (1.45), which has been on a scheduling merry-go-round for the past five years. 

Traditionally staged on Sunday, a slot that included Best Mate’s win in 2000, it was moved to Saturday from 2020 to 2022, producing winners of Eldorado Allen, Third Time Lucki and Banbridge.

Banbridge won the Arkle trial in 2022Credit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

In 2023, it was experimented with on the Friday before returning to Saturday last year, when L’Eau Du Sud landed the prize. It remains on that day for this year’s renewal.

Sunday

The Oddschecker Handicap Chase (2.55) shifted from Saturday to Sunday in 2020, but the numbers since suggest it may not have been the right call. Field sizes dropped to six and seven in the first two years after the move. Between 2015 and 2019, the average field size stood at 12.8, compared with just nine since 2020.

Cheltenham also lost a Grade 2 from the card when the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle Trial was replaced by a maiden hurdle (1.15) two years ago.

Meanwhile, the 2m4f novices’ handicap chase (1.45) – once a prestigious Friday race won by the likes of Denman, Grands Crus and Finian’s Oscar – has been downgraded to a handicap and now takes place on Sunday since being moved in 2023.

An iconic running of the novice chase came in 2021. Rachael Blackmore survived a remarkable incident when Gin On Lime fell to her knees at the penultimate fence, yet she somehow stayed in the saddle, got her mount back to her feet and went on to complete the race after the only other runner, My Drogo, came down at the same fence.

Read more like this:

Cheltenham ground could experience dramatic change with more than 20mm of rain forecast ahead of November meeting 

The key questions on day two of Cheltenham's November meeting as Paddy Power Gold Cup field is confirmed 

Ireland's five best chances at the November meeting - including a smart Flat stayer and a Cheltenham Festival runner-up 

Big Jump Off: now available to buy from the Racing Post Shop!

The Big Jump Off is your comprehensive guide to the 2025-26 National Hunt season with expert insight from Paul Kealy, Tom Segal and more. You can buy it now from the Racing Post Shop!  Alternatively it is available to to Racing Post+ UItimate subscribers through the digital newspaper - part of the ultimate horseracing subscription with Racing Post+ Ultimate.