Cheltenham and Prestbury Park is the home of jump racing in Britain. Their opening fixture of the National Hunt season takes place in October with the Showcase Meeting.
This two-day event takes place on a Friday and a Saturday, with both days running on the Old Course, as do races at the November Meeting and the first two days of the Cheltenham Festival in March.
There is only one Class 1 race at the meeting, the Grade 2 Sharp Novices’ Hurdle which is run on the first day. This 2m½f race is a trial for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the opening race of the Cheltenham Festival.
In total there are fourteen races run, seven on each day, with a mix of chasing, hurdling and a National Hunt flat race.
Friday 23rd October 2026
The first day opens with a 2m4f handicap hurdle, a 2m novices’ chase and a 2m½f handicap hurdle for conditional jockeys. Next is arguably the best race of the meeting, the Grade 2 Sharp Novices’ Hurdle run over 2m½f.
Race four on Friday is a 2m handicap chase, before a 2m4f novices’ hurdle and a 3m1f staying handicap chase for amateur jockeys.
- 1:15pm: William Hill Epic Boosts Handicap Hurdle
Class 3, 2m4f, 3yo+, £25,000 - 1:50pm: Catesby Estates “Chasing Excellence” Novices’ Chase
Class 2, 2m, 4yo+, £40,000 - 2:25pm: Foundation Developments Conditional Jockeys Handicap Hurdle
Class 3, 2m½f, 3yo+, £20,000 - 3:00pm: Oddschecker (Sharp) Novices’ Hurdle
Grade 2, 2m½f, 4yo+, £80,000 - 3:35pm: squareintheair.com Handicap Chase
Class 2, 2m, 4yo+, £100,000 - 4:10pm: Champions: McCoy Contractors Novices’ Hurdle
Class 2, 2m4f, 4yo+, £20,000 - 4:45pm: Chapel Down Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase
Class 3, 3m1f, 4yo+, £20,000
Saturday 24th October 2026
The Showcase Meeting’s second day begins with a novices’ limited handicap chase over 2m4f before a 3m novices’ hurdle and the 3m Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.
A 3m1f Class 2 handicap chase follows with a 2m½f Class 2 hurdle, a 3m1f novices’ chase and a 2m½f open National Hunt flat race closing the day.
- 1:10pm: William Hill Epic Boosts Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
Class 3, 2m4f, 4yo+, £22,000 - 1:45pm: William Hill Extra Places Every Day Novices’ Hurdle
Class 2, 3m, 4yo+, £20,000 - 2:20pm: Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle
Class 2, 3m, 4yo+, £35,000 - 2:55pm: William Hill Best Odds Guaranteed Handicap Chase
Class 2, 3m1f, 4yo+, £100,000 - 3:30pm: Masterson Holdings Hurdle
Class 2, 2m½f, 4yo, £40,000 - 4:05pm: William Hill Price Boosts “Chasing Excellence” Novices’ Chase
Class 2, 3m1f, 5yo+, £40,000 - 4:40pm: Lucy’s 40th Birthday Celebration Open National Hunt Flat Race
Class 2, 2m½f, 4-5yo, £17,500
