Imperial Commander won the Paddy Power Gold Cup

Our team's favourite memories from the Cheltenham November meeting

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Tue November 11, 2025 · 1M ago

Our writers look back on Cheltenham's November meeting and pick out their most significant recollections.

Europe takes Greatwood by storm

by Tony McFadden

Last season's winner of the Greatwood Hurdle, Burdett Road, went on to finish runner-up in the Champion Hurdle, though that owed plenty to two market leaders falling and another failing to fire in what turned out to be a hugely anti-climactic contest. In the first decade of the 21st century, however, the Greatwood did produce some genuine Champion Hurdle contenders, including a winner of the two-mile championship in Rooster Booster.

Rooster Booster put up the best performance in the Greatwood in that era, comfortably defying topweight and a mark of 155 before going on to bolt up at the Cheltenham Festival four months later, but there were other very smart performances from the likes of Detroit City, Khyber Kim and Menorah.

Rooster Booster may have been the last horse to complete the Greatwood-Champion Hurdle double, but the race has subsequently produced another top-class performer and championship winner: Sizing Europe.

Sizing Europe won the Greatwood in tremendous style

Sizing Europe was a relatively unknown quantity heading into the 2007 Greatwood Hurdle but emerged with a sky-high reputation after easily brushing aside topweight Osana in the style of one destined to make his mark at a much higher level. Sizing Europe then confirmed the impression we had seen a future star in the Greatwood when he cruised clear of an ageing Hardy Eustace, prompting Timeform's reporter to label him "one of the most exciting Irish hurdling prospects since Istabraq".

Sizing Europe appeared to go wrong when sent off a hot favourite for the Champion Hurdle – in which old rival Osana finished runner-up - and never fulfilled his potential over hurdles. However, expertly brought back to his best by a young Henry de Bromhead after a spell in the wilderness, Sizing Europe enjoyed a long and successful career over fences, including wins in the Arkle and Champion Chase back at the scene of where he had made a name for himself in the Greatwood.

Stout stayer finding more for pressure

by John Ingles

I grew up with the first big handicap chase of the season being known as the Mackeson Gold Cup and it still was in 1995, though that was the final year of their sponsorship and they got a thriller for their money.

It was also my first year at Timeform and I’m pretty sure Dublin Flyer had been picked as one of our Horses To Follow that season. Dublin Flyer was very much the type of horse to leave a lasting impression, being a strapping chaser typical of those trained by Captain Tim Forster, as well as being a bold-jumping front runner as he’d shown to such good effect when winning the John Hughes Memorial over the big fences at Aintree under 12-0 the previous spring.

Sent off joint favourite for the Mackeson, Dublin Flyer was sent straight into the lead as usual by his then regular jockey Brendan Powell. He had several challengers on his outer jumping three out down the hill but running down to the last his only danger was Egypt Mill Prince who’d been placed in the two previous renewals.

At the final fence the lead changed hands.

‘Egypt Mill Prince is going to lay the Mackeson ghost for Jenny Pitman’, said Graham Goode as Egypt Mill Prince began to assert up the hill - before the Channel 4 commentator quickly had to add ‘Or is he?’.

A tremendous attitude was another of Dublin Flyer’s great qualities and, responding gamely, he rallied to regain the lead close home for a half-length victory!

O'Grady ends Irish drought

by Mike Vince

It seems ludicrous to be writing ‘the Irish could do with a change in fortune in the big race at Cheltenham’, but that is exactly the case with Saturday’s Paddy Power Gold Cup.

You have to turn the clock back to 2009 for the last winner trained across the sea, and that was the first Irish success since 1980.

It was Tranquil Sea, backed into favouritism, who won that day - and in some style. Andrew McNamara always looked in control, took it up three fences from home and stayed on well up the hill to beat Poquelin, one of three in the race trained by Paul Nicholls, with the bottom weight Hold Em, who like the runner-up made a mistake two-out, back in third.

Tranquil Sea wins the Paddy Power Gold Cup

Tranquil Sea was one of the last big British winners trained by Edward O’Grady, who enjoyed so much success at Cheltenham in the pre-Mullins and Elliott era, and it is fitting that Saturday’s race is run in his honour after his death earlier this year.

Tranquil Sea was the first Irish winner since Bright Highway and, given the modern-era dominance in general, you’d hardly believe Ireland’s record of one win in the last 45 years.

Local boy comes good

by Matt Brocklebank

A year before O’Grady broke what appeared something of an Irish hoodoo with Tranquil Sea, the Paddy Power Gold Cup was won by Imperial Commander – arguably the last real superstar chaser to land the November meeting highlight.

Nigel Twiston-Davies’ pride and joy went on to provide some momentous days for his connections, bouncing back to form after a low-key King George effort to win the same season’s Ryanair Chase before returning 12 months later to claim Gold Cup glory under a jubilant Paddy Brennan.

Imperial Commander’s nose defeat to Kauto Star in a thrilling Betfair Chase in 2009, and the runner-up’s redemption a year on, are two other memorable days but the November meeting clearly had a massive impact on this local horse’s career, including a hurdling debut defeat in 2006 when fourth behind Massini’s Maguire, Wichita Lineman and Juveigneur in a really strong novice event. The first and second that day also went on to taste Grade 1 success and the relatively experienced Juveigneur was runner-up in the Hennessy on his next start.

Imperial Commander had a fine Cheltenham record

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