We're back baby! Paddy returns as sponsor at Cheltenham’s November meeting

Paddy Power returns as headline sponsor of Cheltenham’s three-day November Meeting next month with the Paddy Power Gold Cup the feature race on Saturday, November 14.

The race is the highlight of Britain’s third most popular jumps fixture and jump fans favourites like Imperial Commander, Our Vic and Al Ferof headed the roll of honour, when under the Irish bookie’s banner between 2003 and 2015.

The £130,000 Paddy Power Gold Cup – a Grade 3 Handicap chase will now be the feature race on ‘Paddy Power Day’, the Saturday of the three-day fiesta.

Former top jock turned top pundit and Paddy Power Ambassador Ruby Walsh won the race aboard Al Ferof in 2012, said: “The Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham is an early highlight in the National Hunt season. I always felt the November meeting really signalled the beginning of the jumps season proper.

“There’s not many Grade One horses who contest handicaps anymore, but the Paddy Power Gold Cup comes at a time in the season when people might take a chance.

“It just shows how competitive a race it is when you have the likes of Frodon, Thisthatandtother and Long Run all failing to win this race, before going on to Festival glory the following March. Plenty of future Grade One winners turn up at the November meeting hoping to land a big pot, as a stepping stone to the top level.”

Never one to let Ruby have the last word, Paddy Power added: “English fans have spent a lot of time singing ‘It’s coming home,’ over the last few years, but unlike them, I feel it actually has for us!

“We loved sponsoring the Paddy Power Gold Cup, which don’t forget went to a later Cheltenham Gold Cup hero in Imperial Commander in 2008, and I’m absolutely over the moon at being associated with my favourite race again.

We’d like to thank the previous sponsors for keeping it warm for us.

Cheltenham’s three-day November meeting is the third most attended fixture of the jumps season behind the Cheltenham Festival in March and the Randox Health Grand National Festival at Aintree in April.

The November Meeting takes place from Friday 13th November to Sunday 15th November.