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They say all roads lead to Cheltenham but there are many roads and many races between the season kicking off in October and the Festival in March. We’ve picked a few big races to put in your diary to watch in the build-up.
The John Durkan Memorial Chase
Where: Punchestown
When: 23rd November 2025
Why: A pointer for not one but two Festival races. The 2014 victor Don Cossack won the Gold Cup in 2016, Sizing John also won both races within a year of each other and Galopin Des Champs won this in 2022 in between his Cheltenham victories in 2022 & 2023.
Allaho won in 2021 then followed up in the Ryanair in 2022, a feat repeated by Fact to File in 2025.
The Morgiana Hurdle
Where: Punchestown
When: 22nd November 2025
Why: Hurricane Fly won this in 2012, 2013 and 2014, neatly bookending his Champion Hurdle wins at Cheltenham in 2011 & 2013. State Man won in 2022 & 2023 before his Champion Hurdle victory in 2024, his bid for back-to-back titles ended in drama, however. After finishing second in the Morgiana Hurdle earlier in the season, he suffered a fall at the final hurdle in the 2025 renewal of the Champion Hurdle with the race at his mercy.
Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup
Where: Dublin Racing Festival, Leopardstown
When: Saturday 31st January 2026
Why: It has produced 4 winners that have gone on to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup; Jodami (1993), Imperial Call (1996), Sizing John (2017) and Galopin Des Champs (2023 and 2024). Keep an eye on the horses further down the field though. This year’s runaway Gold Cup winner Inothewayurthinkin finished 4th in this in 2025.
For staying chasers, the big races in the UK are less likely to throw up a Gold Cup winner nowadays although historically they were good pointers. The Betfair Chase has produced Kauto Star, Imperial Commander and A Plus Tard in the past, and you might think the Christmas highlight at Kempton, The King George VI Chase, is worth a mention but you have to go back 13 years and Long Run to find a winner that went on to Gold Cup victory! The closest a winner of this came in recent years was Bravemansgame, who won the 2022 edition before going on to finish runner-up in the Gold Cup in 2023.
There’s more Festival form in the hurdling division however.
The Fighting Fifth Hurdle
Where: Newcastle
When: Saturday 29th November 2025
Why: Three winners went on to win the Champion Hurdle the following year. Punjabi won in 2008, Buveur D’Air in 2017 and Constitution Hill in 2022, showing that some of the very best start their campaign in this race.
The Christmas Hurdle
Where: Kempton
When: Friday 26th December 2025
Why: The Christmas Hurdle winner needs serious consideration come the Festival. Faugheen, Buveur D’Air, Epatante and Constitution Hill have all won this in the last 11 years, before becoming the Champion Hurdler at Cheltenham in March. Last year’s renewal also featured the eventual Mares’ Hurdle winner, Lossiemouth, who finished second to Constitution Hill on the day.
