Cheltenham Racecourse has cancelled the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase, which was due to take place during The November Meeting, delaying the event until 2027.
It has described its Cross Country course as 'unraceable' following the dry summer and ongoing unseasonably warm temperatures.
The Cross Country course has not been irrigated while resources have been focused on getting the Old Course ready for The Showcase this October 2026 – and with warm, dry weather set to continue, it doesn't think safe conditions can be achieved in time for The November Meeting.
The Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase is now due to take place at Festival Trials Day in January 2027 – with the decision on what will replace it at The November Meeting being made before the end of October 2026.
Cheltenham Racecourse's clerk of the course, Jon Pullin, said: 'It is always disappointing to lose any race or fixture, and the team have worked incredibly hard in very challenging conditions to get the Old Course ready for racing next week.
'Given the exceptionally dry summer, which has continued into the early autumn, our priority has had to be ensuring the Old Course is ready. The forecast suggests that there is limited rainfall expected in the coming weeks and warm temperatures are set to continue, meaning our attention will need to remain on the Old Course in the lead-up to The November Meeting.
'We wanted to take the decision to cancel the Cross Country Chase as early as possible to allow participants time to adjust their plans.
'Unfortunately, we have already lost a number of fixtures across the country due to the challenging conditions. In discussions with the BHA and the NTF, we recognise that this may continue over the next couple of weeks. Therefore, there may be races that need rescheduling that could be accommodated at The November Meeting so we will confirm the replacement race by Friday 30 October 2026.'
The November Meeting takes place from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 November 2026.
