Forecast: Drizzle
Temp: 9.1° - 12.5°
Rainfall: 0.38mm
Wind: 14.3 mph S
Cheltenham Course Guide
Undisputedly THE home of National Hunt racing, Cheltenham and its four-day Festival represent the pinnacle of the sport. Put simply, no horse can be considered a jumps ‘champion’ without proving itself on the biggest stage of all in the Cotswolds in March.
For most professionally-involved in the sport, leading in or riding a winner at the Festival is an achievement equal or greater than any other, be it in a blue riband event such as the Champion Hurdle or Gold Cup or in one of the clutch of competitive handicaps that are an equal hallmark of the meeting.
Cheltenham’s position at the top of the tree is further boosted by its racing calendar outside of the Festival, which is possible due to the course having two tracks – the ‘Old’ and ‘New’ courses - at its disposal. The opening October meeting is viewed by many as the unofficial start of the season, whilst the standard of the three-day Open meeting a month later is almost as high as the Festival itself. Valuable races are staged at the mid-December and New Year meetings whilst the late January fixture is rightly billed as ‘Trials Day’. After the Festival there is also a popular two-day meeting in April and the season ends with the Hunter Chase evening in early May.
Left handed, undulating. Stiff fences; the fourth last comes soon after a turn at the top of the hill and catches out plenty. The last half mile is uphill, although the lead changes hands on the run-in less frequently than expected. Horses who race prominently often fare well on the chase course, especially in races up to 2m 4f 100yds. The hurdles course has just two flights in the last six furlongs, resulting in more emphasis on stamina; large-field races over two miles often go to hold-up horses, as there can be a tendency to go for home too soon.
To the naked eye, or to the layman, Cheltenham looks very stiff, but the two courses are actually totally different and I rate the Old Course much the quicker. So, especially on that, you need a horse that can travel easily within itself. Without one of those, you invariably find yourself snookered, because you’re always trying to get into a position to improve. Ideally, therefore, you need a horse that can get into a gap as soon as one appears, because there’s so little time to manoeuvre. If you have to think about going for a gap, nine times out of ten it’s too late - someone else will have got into it before you. As for the uphill finish, it only rides really testing if you’re on one that’s tying up. Then, it feels like an eternity from the last to the line.
View from the saddle: Mick Fitzgerald
Address & Contact
Cheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham
Gloucestershire
GL50 4SH
01242 513014
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Advance Going
Good to soft-soft in places; cross country; good
Current Weather today at: Cheltenham
Today
Tomorrow
Forecast: Sunny spells
Temp: 3.8° - 11.1°
Rainfall: none
Wind: 5.6 mph SW
Last Update: 11/12/2025 17:00
Upcoming races
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16:05 British EBF 'National Hunt' Novices' Hurdle (GBB Race)
(Class 2) (2m 179y) -
16:40 Santa - 'The Visit' 'Chasing Excellence' Novices' Chase (GBB Race)
(Class 2) (2m 4f 127y) -
17:15 Catesby Estates Handicap Hurdle
(Class 3) (2m 179y) -
17:50 Turners Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race)
(Class 1) (3m 2f 70y) -
18:25 Unibet Middle Distance Veterans' Chase Series Handicap Chase
(Class 2) (2m 4f 127y) -
19:00 Glenfarclas Crystal Cup Cross Country Handicap Chase (GBB Race)
(Class 2) (3m 5f 56y) -
19:35 Citipost Handicap Hurdle (GBB Race)
(Class 2) (2m 7f 213y)
Results
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Trainer Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L Dan Skelton 80 13 £835,703 16.25% £5.74 G P Cromwell 59 12 £683,224 20.34% -£1.52 W P Mullins 73 11 £1,754,748 15.07% -£27.37 P F Nicholls 65 10 £479,523 15.38% -£12.85 H De Bromhead 58 9 £705,569 15.52% £35.20 N J Henderson 45 9 £369,926 20% £14.83 Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies 60 5 £124,921 8.33% -£36.28 Miss V Williams 76 4 £180,743 5.26% -£61.95 J Tizzard 43 4 £129,381 9.3% -£1.17 O Greenall & J Guerriero 11 4 £138,424 36.36% £6.50 Trainer Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L N J Henderson 96 15 £691,385 15.63% -£21.89 W P Mullins 149 14 £1,210,181 9.4% £14.30 Dan Skelton 85 13 £416,096 15.29% £27.75 G Elliott 102 9 £621,708 8.82% £17.75 P F Nicholls 53 6 £238,987 11.32% £6.50 H De Bromhead 49 6 £452,595 12.24% -£0.75 O Murphy 40 5 £69,465 12.5% -£21.25 Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies 62 5 £103,981 8.06% -£53.30 James Owen 31 5 £207,926 16.13% £13.05 F O'Brien 61 5 £97,616 8.2% -£25.67 Trainer Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L W P Mullins 26 3 £105,358 11.54% -£12.00 T Cooper 4 2 £29,720 50% £12.25 Dan Skelton 13 1 £12,989 7.69% -£10.50 B Pauling 11 1 £14,238 9.09% -£2.50 F O'Brien 10 1 £9,530 10% -£9.50 P A Kirby 4 1 £8,169 25% £63.00 B Brookhouse 3 1 £14,238 33.33% £0.25 O Signy 3 1 £7,922 33.33% £12.00 Mrs J Williams 3 1 £14,238 33.33% £1.50 H Fry 3 1 £8,169 33.33% £0.25 -
Jockey Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L H Cobden 66 12 £447,832 18.18% £14.65 Harry Skelton 58 11 £791,477 18.97% £9.74 Keith Donoghue 31 9 £266,449 29.03% -£1.05 N de Boinville 33 8 £330,061 24.24% -£2.17 S Bowen 54 7 £181,029 12.96% -£9.67 Sam Twiston-Davies 58 6 £251,639 10.34% -£21.03 Paul Townend 18 6 £1,195,738 33.33% -£1.89 Charlie Deutsch 57 5 £206,758 8.77% -£37.75 Darragh O'Keeffe 28 5 £209,784 17.86% £33.20 Miss Gina Andrews 27 5 £38,264 18.52% -£11.29 Jockey Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L Harry Skelton 59 11 £348,934 18.64% £15.25 N de Boinville 52 11 £560,358 21.15% -£8.51 Paul Townend 31 11 £987,915 35.48% £8.30 H Cobden 73 10 £393,164 13.7% £4.85 Sam Twiston-Davies 61 9 £228,287 14.75% -£9.50 S Bowen 69 6 £74,293 8.7% -£29.25 James Bowen 24 5 £97,370 20.83% -£2.13 Rachael Blackmore 26 5 £429,815 19.23% £10.25 Danny Gilligan 19 4 £103,456 21.05% £7.50 Jonjo O'Neill Jr. 34 3 £143,167 8.82% £71.13 Jockey Runners Wins Prize Money Strike-Rate P/L J J Burke 11 2 £17,699 18.18% -£4.25 Harry Skelton 13 1 £12,989 7.69% -£9.50 H Cobden 13 1 £14,860 7.69% £0.00 S Bowen 10 1 £14,860 10% -£7.75 G Sheehan 7 1 £7,922 14.29% £8.00 B S Hughes 6 1 £8,169 16.67% £15.00 J M Quinlan 5 1 £14,238 20% -£1.75 Mr P W Mullins 4 1 £45,560 25% £1.50 Joe Williamson 3 1 £8,169 33.33% £64.00 David Noonan 3 1 £14,238 33.33% £1.50