Paddy Power Gold Cup Runners: Meetmebythesea heads strong handicap field at Cheltenham
Cheltenham's first big Saturday of the season is just a few days away, and the Paddy Power Gold Cup has seen the field whittled down to 19 at the latest confirmation stage. Meetmebythesea heads the sponsor's betting, Dan Skelton unsurprisingly has a strong hand and the trends point, perhaps more surprisingly, to a winner away from the favourite.
- Race: Paddy Power Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap)
- Course: Cheltenham (Old Course)
- Date: Saturday 14 November 2026
- Off time: 2:20pm
- Distance: 2m4f44y
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Paddy Power Gold Cup Key Contenders
Meetmebythesea (Ben Pauling)
The JP McManus-owned six-year-old is a worthy favourite after a very good novice season. He won at Wetherby and Ayr. He was then well beaten in the Game Spirit on heavy ground at Newbury, which can be put down to the conditions. At the Festival he won the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase at 9/1, leading for much of the race and pulling clear on the run-in under Ben Jones. That race is run over a very similar trip on the New Course, so he has shown he handles Cheltenham. Trainer Ben Pauling is based nearby and is looking for a first Paddy Power Gold Cup.
The trends are against him, though. Only one of the last ten winners was a six-year-old. None of the last ten had won on their previous start. He also hasn't run yet this season.
Blueking d'Oroux (Dan Skelton)
One of several Johnny de la Hey horses that moved from Paul Nicholls to Dan Skelton in the summer. He was busy as a novice last season. He won the Grade 2 Rising Stars at Wincanton and was beaten only a neck in a Kempton handicap chase in March. He finished his season by running well at 22/1 to be second in the Grade 1 Manifesto Novices' Chase at Aintree. He may run at Carlisle this weekend before Cheltenham. If he does, he matches the race's main trends. As the champion trainer's leading fancy, he should be popular in the betting.
Madara (Dan Skelton)
Madara has already won over this course and distance. He won the Plate at last season's Festival over the same 2m4f44y, moving up smoothly from midfield and going clear from the last. He followed that by leading at the last in the Topham at Aintree before finishing a close third. At seven he is the right age, and Skelton won this race last year with Panic Attack. He is one of the strongest trends fits near the top of the betting.
Quebecois (Paul Nicholls)
Quebecois has strong form for this race. He was beaten only a head into third in the Ultima at the Festival, leading for a long way. He has already run this season, finishing a respectable second at Newton Abbot on 17 October. As a seven-year-old with a run this season who didn't win last time out, he fits every trend below. He also comes from the trainer with the best recent record in the race.
Others to note
Henry de Bromhead's Zurich is the shortest-priced of the Irish raiders. However, the stats below show no Irish-trained winner in the last ten years so that'll put plenty of people off. De Bromhead, however, is one trainer with a positive P&L in Cheltenham handicap chases so perhaps his horses can continue to defy the trends.
Paddy Power Gold Cup Stats and Trends
These stats cover the last ten runnings of the Paddy Power Gold Cup (2016-2025). The race was sponsored by BetVictor from 2016 to 2019.
Last 10 Paddy Power Gold Cup Winners
| Year | Winner | Age | Weight | SP | Trainer | Jockey |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Panic Attack | 9 | 11-1 | 6/1 | Dan Skelton | Harry Skelton |
| 2024 | Il Ridoto | 7 | 9-13 | 10/1 | Paul Nicholls | Freddie Gingell |
| 2023 | Stage Star | 7 | 11-7 | 4/1F | Paul Nicholls | Harry Cobden |
| 2022 | Ga Law | 6 | 11-0 | 5/1 | Jamie Snowden | Jonathan Burke |
| 2021 | Midnight Shadow | 8 | 11-5 | 9/1 | Sue Smith | Ryan Mania |
| 2020 | Coole Cody | 9 | 10-5 | 10/1 | Evan Williams | Tom O'Brien |
| 2019 | Happy Diva | 8 | 11-0 | 14/1 | Kerry Lee | Richard Patrick |
| 2018 | Baron Alco | 7 | 10-11 | 8/1 | Gary Moore | Jamie Moore |
| 2017 | Splash Of Ginge | 9 | 10-6 | 25/1 | Nigel Twiston-Davies | Tom Bellamy |
| 2016 | Taquin Du Seuil | 9 | 11-11 | 8/1 | Jonjo O'Neill | Aidan Coleman |
Weights shown are actual weights carried, including any jockey allowances.
Winner Profile
| Stat | Last 10 Runnings |
|---|---|
| Average age | 7.9 years |
| Average weight carried | 10st 13lb |
| Shortest-priced winner | Stage Star, 4/1F (2023) |
| Biggest-priced winner | Splash Of Ginge, 25/1 (2017) |
| Leading trainer | Paul Nicholls, 2 wins (2023, 2024) |
| Different winning trainers | 9 in 10 years |
Key Paddy Power Gold Cup Trends
- Trained in Britain: 10/10. All ten winners were trained in Britain. The three remaining Irish-trained entries, July Flower, Zurich and Release The Beast, have this statistic against them. French Dynamite (second in 2022) and Lets Go Champ (third in 2024) are among the Irish-trained horses to have gone close.
- Aged seven to nine: 9/10. Ga Law (2022) is the only six-year-old winner in the last decade. That counts against Meetmebythesea, Torneo, Dunkerque and Passing Diamond. Ten-year-old Guard Your Dreams also falls outside the dominant age bracket.
- Beaten on previous start: 10/10. None of the last ten winners arrived off the back of a victory. Meetmebythesea, Madara, Torneo and O'Moore Park all won on their latest appearances, making this an interesting trend to consider.
- Had already run that season: 8/10. Only Stage Star (2023) and Panic Attack (2025) won on their seasonal reappearances. The other eight winners had the benefit of a recent outing.
- Started between 4/1 and 10/1: 8/10. Eight of the last ten winners returned an SP in this range. None started shorter than 4/1, while Splash Of Ginge at 25/1 in 2017 was the biggest-priced winner.
- Carried 10st 11lb or more: 7/10. Seven of the last ten winners carried at least 10st 11lb, suggesting that a relatively high weight has not been a major obstacle.
- Trained by Paul Nicholls: 2 wins, 5 further places. Nicholls won consecutive renewals with Stage Star (2023) and Il Ridoto (2024). His runners also recorded five additional top-three finishes during the period.
- Trained by Dan Skelton: 1 win, 4 further places. Skelton won the 2025 renewal with Panic Attack, while his runners have also recorded two second-place finishes and two thirds since 2020.
Previous experience in the race can also be worth considering. Il Ridoto finished fourth in 2022 and third in 2023 before returning to win in 2024, demonstrating how horses with proven Cheltenham handicap form can eventually get their chance.