Key Points
- All 15 Paddy Power Gold Cup runners analysed
- I've identified the key players in this race
- Find out which horse I think offers the best value
The November Meeting at Cheltenham brings three days of Jumps action, starting on from Friday 13 November and continuing through to Sunday 15 November 2026. Today I’m focusing on Saturday's feature race, The Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase, which has a phenomenal £160,000 prize pot. I’ve decided to up the ante for this one, and instead of a
free horse racing tip
I’ve put together a runner-by-runner guide.
While today’s hot topic is the Paddy Power Gold Cup, there’s another Gold Cup worth our attention, which is of course the
2027 Cheltenham Gold Cup. Although this race is still a long way off now, I actually put up an antepost betting tip back in June! The horse who caught my attention was originally priced at 33/1, and although he has received some support since then, you can still get 25/1, which is still great value and well worth taking.
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A look at all 15 runners in the Paddy Power Gold Cup
The first major race on the UK Jumps calendar, the 2026 Paddy Power Gold Cup, takes place at 14.20 on Saturday 14 November. The race is run over a distance of 2m 4.5f on Cheltenham’s Old Course, and this year’s renewal is wide open.
I have analysed all 15 of this year’s Paddy Power Gold Cup contenders, and in the. Below I give you my thoughts on each contender along with their trainer, jockey and their current odds at the time of writing.
1 Matata
- Trainer: Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies
- Jockey: JJ Slevin
- Odds: 25/1
Matata carries top weight of 12st 0lb. While that would usually be a concern, Matata is no stranger to this scenario. He has won under similar conditions on three previous occasions, defying marks of 150, 155 and 154, with two of those victories here at Cheltenham. Matata is currently rated 155, and he can certainly be competitive off that mark. His latest victory was particularly impressive. He won by a margin of 9.5 lengths, producing a RPR of 165. The Paddy Power Gold Cup is a tough task, but his 25/1 price tag could underestimate him here.
2 Madara
- Trainer: Dan Skelton
- Jockey: Tristan Durrell
- Odds: 10/1
Madara was campaigned for the Plate Handicap Chase at this year’s Cheltenham Festival. He was 3/1 favourite ahead of the race, and he delivered in emphatic style. That win came off a mark of 140, but when the handicapper had his say, Madara was raised 10lb to 150. Latterly, he was just 2.5 lengths away from defying his revised mark at Aintree, and he was raised another 2lbs. He recently had a spin over Hurdles, so he’s super-fit, and has clearly been primed with a repeat victory in mind. However, his current mark of 152 looks tough to defy, and Harry Skelton rides his stablemate instead.
3 Meetmebythesea
- Trainer: Ben Pauling
- Jockey: Harry Cobden
- Odds: 3/1
Meetmebythesea currently heads the market at 3/1. That might seem short for a race of this nature and depth, but he is potentially a Graded horse in a Handicap here. Meetmebythesea is two from two over fences, which is impressive considering both races were over inadequate trips of 1m 7f and 2m 0.5f respectively. The Grade 2 Game Spirit at Newbury proved too much for him, but considering the tough opposition and very testing ground that wasn’t surprising. However, given better going and a step up in trip, he aced the Jack Richards Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase just a month later. Meetmebythesea is unexposed over this trip, and given that he may have developed over the summer, he could easily be ahead of the handicapper. His fitness is taken on trust with no recent run, but that’s most likely a tactical decision to protect his handicap mark.
4 Johnnywho
- Trainer: Jonjo & A J O’Neill
- Jockey: Jonjo O’Neill Jr
- Odds: 25/1
Johnnywho is a very likable horse who had a fantastic spring last season, winning the 3m 1f Ultima Handicap Chase here at Cheltenham, then finishing fourth in the Aintree Grand National over 4m 2.5f. While Johnnywho has a strong cruising speed, the 2m 4f distance looks inadequate for him. He may just be running here to blow the cobwebs away, and to start bringing his handicap mark down ahead of a crack at the 2027 Grand National.
5 Blueking d’Oroux
- Trainer: Dan Skelton
- Jockey: Harry Skelton
- Odds: 11/2
Blueking d’Oroux was a five-time winner for Paul Nicholls. His victories included Grade 2 wins over Hurdles and fences. However, Blueking d’Oroux was one of several Johnny de la Hey horses that were moved from Ditcheat to Dan Skelton’s yard. After a fantastic run in the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree, he was raised 5lb from 143 to a mark of 148 and that looks stiff. Given that Dan Skelton has been coaxing improvement from several horses joining his yard, and Harry Skelton has chosen to ride Blueking d’Oroux from Dan’s three entrants here, you would be brave to rule him out.
6 Riskintheground
- Trainer: Dan Skelton
- Jockey: Harry Atkins (5lb Claimer)
- Odds: 50/1
Riskintheground won the Grade 2 Silver Trophy at Haydock in April, the Perth Gold Cup in June, and also clocked up two placed efforts at Uttoxeter, so he had a very productive spring and summer. The negative is that he has paid for that with his handicap mark. The Haydock win came off 136 and he now looks high off a 10lb higher mark of 146. Harry Atkins rides, claiming 5lb, which helps, but also suggests that Dan Skelton knows Riskintheground is too high in the handicap. That said, he could sneak a place at a big price, but he is highly unlikely to win.
7 July Flower
- Trainer: Henry De Bromhead
- Jockey: Darragh O’Keeffe
- Odds: 8/1
July Flower has largely been campaigned in Graded company between France, England and Ireland. She was an AQPS Grade 1 winner in France as a three-year-old, and recorded wins in a Grade 3 Hurdle in Ireland, and a Grade 2 Novice Chase here at Cheltenham. The main negative is that her handicap mark of 142 looks high because of her Graded form, and the British handicapper adding 2lb to her Irish rating. She could run well on her Handicap debut, but looking back at her run in the Mares’ Chase, I’m not sure she can win this.
8 Quebecois
- Trainer: Paul Nicholls
- Jockey: Sam Twiston-Davies
- Odds: 11/2
Quebecois is a fascinating contender, with fantastic 323 form figures at Cheltenham. His initial third came in a Grade 2 Novices’ Hurdle, while the other two runs were in valuable Handicap Chases. When second, he was only denied by a nose, headed on the final stride, and his other third place was in the Ultima where he was less than a length behind the winner, Johnnywho. Quebecois runs off a mark of 141, which is 6lb and 2lb higher than for his last two Handicap races here. As such, he may be a touch high in the handicap, but he should relish the drier conditions and the faster ground.
9 O’Moore Park
- Trainer: Martin Keighley
- Jockey: Freddie Keighley (5lb Claimer)
- Odds: 14/1
O’Moore Park broke his maiden tag in a Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase at The Showcase Meeting last month under a typical late Sean Bowen drive for the line. The handicapper has generously put him up just 4lb for that win. On Saturday, Freddie Keighley takes the ride and claims a valuable 5lb, so he is effectively 1lb better off this time. I tipped him when he won at 25/1 last time, and although this is a deeper race, I’m surprised to see him at a double figure price here. At the very least he is a very lively outsider.
10 Guard Your Dreams
- Trainer: Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies
- Jockey: Toby McCain-Mitchell (3lb Claimer)
- Odds: 66/1
Guard Your Dreams is a veteran now, but he's still running off a mark of 138, His latest win was at Warwick in February, the one prior to that was also at Warwick, but back in October 2024, where he won off a mark of 132. He also won a Grade 2 Hurdles race as a five-year-old, with a peak rating of 147. Between his 138 mark and his advancing age, I feel this race is too competitive for him. He may well be here to bring his mark down ready to pop up in veteran company where he has a much better chanc of winning.
11 Zurich
- Trainer: Henry De Bromhead
- Jockey: Sean Bowen
- Odds: 14/1
Zurich looks up against it here in the Paddy Power Gold Cup. He won over course and distance in October last year, but that was off a handicap mark of 125. After some strong runs in defeat, he is now rated 135 in Ireland, and 3lb higher in Britain. Zurich's second place behind Riskintheground in the Grade 2 Silver Trophy at Haydock, suggest he has a chance here, and the fact that Champion Jockey Sean Bowen is booked for the ride is another plus point. Nevertheless, I think Zurich will find at least one that's better handicapped here.
12 Norn Iron
- Trainer: Harry Derham
- Jockey: Paul O’Brien
- Odds: 14/1
Harry Derham seems to be having a nightmare with Norn Iron so far this season. He was declared to run at Chepstow last month, but was withdrawn due to the ground. Harry was also hoping to run him over Hurdles on Old Roan Chase day at Aintree, but that was abandoned due to storm Boelo. Consequently Norn Iron comes here without a run, which is a big negative. Second season Chasers often do well in the Paddy Power Gold Cup, but his lack of preparation concerns me. Personally I'd pass on him here, but a promising run could set him up nicely for something like the December Gold Cup.
13 Release The Beast
- Trainer: Paul Nolan
- Jockey: Sean Flanagan
- Odds: 20/1
Paul Nolan's Release The Beast is a tricky horse. He needs substantial breaks between runs, giving him a rather unique looking formbook. Last season he managed four runs, with breaks of 61, 75 and 50 days between them. There's also no denying that his fourth place in the Grand Annual was a superb effort. He was beaten by less than six lengths, and might have been closer if he hadn’t hit the eighth fence. He then unseated at the first at Punchestown in April this year, which was the last time we saw him. However, given that he runs well when fresh, and he's 1lb below his Grand Annual mark, he could potentially spring a surprise.
14 Torneo
- Trainer: Jamie Snowden
- Jockey: Gavin Sheehan
- Odds: 18/1
Torneo is only a six-year-old, so there is every chance he has further improvement to come. He couldn’t have started the season any better after winning at Ffos Las on his reappearance run, but off a career high mark of 134, he will need to find more to be competitive here.That last run brought his mark up enough for him to run here, but ironically, he would have got in and carried bottom weight off his previous mark. I can see why Jamie Snowden is giving him a go here, but I’ll be surprised if he has the ability to win this.
15 Dunkerque
- Trainer: Jennie Candlish
- Jockey: Sean Quinlan
- Odds: 100/1
The final runner in the 2026 Paddy Power Gold Cup is Dunkerque for Jennie Candlish. He has been progressive this year, and his handicap mark has risen from 117Â to 132. However, there is a big difference between rattling off five wins during the summer and being competitive in a race where the National Hunt big guns are coming out to play. Having failed to win the last twice, it looks like the handicapper may have his measure now. Maybe it's worth rolling the dice in the hope of a place, but I certainly don't expect to see him in the winners' enclosure at 100/1.
My take on the 2026 Paddy Power Gold Cup
The top three in the market, Meetmebythesea, Quebecois, and Blueking d’Oroux look right to me. If price wasn’t a factor, Meetmebythesea would be the one I’d pick, but 3/1 is too short for me to bet on him here. He is currently priced at 25/1 for the Ryanair Chase, and I’d rather back him for that instead. If he wins the Paddy Power Gold Cup, he must be a strong contender for the Ryanair, and that 25/1 will shorten very quickly.
I do respect the chances of Quebecois and Blueking d’Oroux, as both will get their preferred conditions. Blueking d’Oroux has recently switched to Dan Skelton's yard, and that change could lead to a new level of form. For those who prefer bigger prices, I think O’Moore Park at 14/1, Release The Beast at 20/1, and Matata at 25/1, all offer great each way value. However, you should keep in mind that Release The Beast isn’t guaranteed to enjoy the step up in trip, and Matata carries top weight. As such, I believe that O’Moore Park represents the best value in this renewal of the Paddy Power Gold Cup.
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