Jonbon headlines the opening day of the Cheltenham November meeting, while Willie Mullins has renewed his criticism of the Festival ground. Here is the racing news today, rounded up for Friday.
Jonbon returns in the Shloer Chase
Jonbon is back at Cheltenham this afternoon, bidding to win the Shloer Chase for a third time at 2.20pm. Nicky Henderson‘s ten-year-old won the Grade 2 in 2023 and 2024 but was beaten 15 lengths by L’Eau Du Sud 12 months ago.
Harry Cobden takes the ride in a field of just four, with Gidleigh Park, Mighty Bandit and Saint Segal lining up against him. The ground is good, good to soft in places for the first of three days at Prestbury Park.
Mullins renews criticism of Festival ground
Willie Mullins has warned that owners and trainers with top-class horses could bypass the Cheltenham Festival if the ground is not right. Speaking at the launch of his jumps season at Closutton on Wednesday, the champion trainer said: “There was a lot of damage done the last two days in Cheltenham last season because they hadn’t watered properly.”
He pointed to Fact To File, who was taken out of the Ryanair Chase by JP McManus, as well as Bambino Fever, who “got a bit jarred up” on the Thursday after a disappointing run in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle. Mullins added: “If that’s the way they want to go, people with the real good horses just won’t run there.”
Ludlow scraps all fixtures due to drought
Ludlow has abandoned every remaining fixture this season after the summer drought left its track unfit for racing following a BHA inspection. The course’s free-draining gravel base, usually a blessing in wet winters, made it especially vulnerable to the dry spell.
Limits on how much water the track can extract, which are set by the Environment Agency, made matters worse. Its 12 remaining fixtures have been moved elsewhere, starting with Huntingdon on 23 November before Catterick on 2 December and Ayr on 16 December. Racing is due to return to Ludlow in the autumn of 2027, with the course having applied for planning permission for a larger reservoir.
Saturday’s key declarations
15 have been declared for the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Meetmebythesea heads the market under Harry Cobden, while Matata tops the weights. Dan Skelton saddles three in Madara, Blueking d’Oroux and Riskintheground, with Henry de Bromhead’s July Flower and Zurich flying the flag for Ireland.
Passing Diamond goes for the Grade 2 Arkle Trial instead, where he is one of seven alongside Kabral Du Mathan, unbeaten Old Park Star and Workahead.
At Navan, Mullins’ Majborough is one of seven declared for the Grade 2 Fortria Chase, where Only By Night, Solness and Found A Fifty are among his rivals. Gordon Elliott has three of the eight runners in the Grade 2 Lismullen Hurdle, including Casheldale Lad and The Yellow Clay, who face Home By The Lee and Slade Steel.
Racing today
There are four meetings today. Southwell, Sedgefield and Cheltenham stage jumps racing, with Dundalk taking over on the all-weather this evening.
| Course | Code | First race | Last race |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwell | Jumps | 12:20 | 15:50 |
| Sedgefield | Jumps | 12:45 | 15:40 |
| Cheltenham | Jumps | 13:10 | 16:00 |
| Dundalk | All-weather | 17:30 | 20:30 |
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