There’s a certain magic about Cheltenham in November. The air is sharper, the anticipation of the season ahead palpable, and the famous Cotswold amphitheatre begins to fill once again with dreams of Festival glory. For many racegoers, The November Meeting is the moment the jumps season truly comes alive - and history shows it’s where future legends so often announce themselves.
Take Best Mate, one of the greatest names ever to grace Prestbury Park.
Back in November 1999, Best Mate made his winning debut in a Cheltenham bumper. Just twelve months later, in November 2000, he returned to claim the November Novices’ Chase — the very race that signalled he was no ordinary talent. From there, he soared to greatness: winning three consecutive Cheltenham Gold Cups (2002, 2003, 2004), a feat unmatched since the mighty Arkle. For racing fans, those early November victories became the first spark of a story that would capture the sport’s imagination.
So iconic was Best Mate’s place in Cheltenham history that his name now lives on in the Best Mate Enclosure, allowing thousands of racegoers each year to enjoy world-class racing from a space dedicated to one of the sport’s most beloved champions. It’s a permanent reminder of just how special The November Meeting can be - the very first step on a path to immortality.
And Best Mate is not alone.
In 2015, the brilliant Sprinter Sacre lit up The November Meeting with victory in the Shloer Chase, the same year the race was upgraded to Grade 2 status. Already a Festival winner, his dazzling November performance marked the return of his old brilliance and set the stage for more unforgettable days, including his triumphs in the Arkle and two Queen Mother Champion Chases.
Rewind a little further to 2012, when Coneygree stormed to victory in the Hyde Novices’ Hurdle at The November Meeting. Few could have predicted that just three years later he would carve his name into Cheltenham folklore, landing the Gold Cup as a novice - the first to do so in over 40 years. That November success was the very first step on his extraordinary journey.
Time and again, The November Meeting has provided a glimpse of champions-in-waiting. Horses who sparkle against the backdrop of autumn and go on to write their names into Festival folklore.
That is what makes this meeting so special. It’s not just about thrilling races, top-class action, and the unmistakable Cheltenham roar. It’s about witnessing the very beginning of journeys that might just lead to Festival glory, Gold Cups, and racing immortality.
When you step through the gates this November, you’re not just watching the first big meeting of the jumps season - you could be watching the birth of the next Best Mate, Sprinter Sacre, or Coneygree.
Be there where it begins.
Tickets for The November Meeting are on sale now. Don’t miss your chance to see history in the making.
