The November Handicap is a mile-and-a-half handicap at Doncaster, the last big handicap of the flat turf season in Britain.
The November Handicap takes place on Saturday 11th November 2025.
It is always extremely competitive and often held on soft or heavy ground. No horse has ever won it twice.
Notable past winners include Quick Ransom (1993), Yavana’s Pace (1998) and Litigant (2015).
Find out more about the November Handicap:
Contents
- 1 Race Overview – Doncaster November Handicap
- 2 November Handicap Previous Result
- 3 Famous November Handicap Winners
- 4 Key November Handicap Trials
- 5 November Handicap Betting Trends
- 6 November Handicap – Top Trainers and Jockeys
- 7 Popular Questions
- 8 Summary of November Handicap
- 9 Related November Articles
Race Overview – Doncaster November Handicap
The November Handicap is a flat handicap horse competition in the United Kingdom for horses aged three and above.
It is held at Doncaster every year in early November and is competed over a distance of 1 mile 3 furlongs and 197 yards.
Check out our guides to all the other UK Premier Handicap horse races.
November Handicap Previous Result
Take a look at this result from Doncaster Racecourse:
Famous November Handicap Winners
The November Handicap dates back to 1876 when it was held as the Manchester Handicap at the New Barns racecourse. It was eventually transferred to Doncaster in 1964, adopting its current name in 1976. It soon became established as the last big betting handicap race of the turf season.
There was a dead heat in the 1982 race between Double Shuffle and Turkoman.
Trainer John Gosden enjoyed a successful spell in this event in the 1990s, starting with the well-backed favourite Hieroglyphic in 1991. He won again the following season with Turgenev and again in 1997 with Sabadilla, both returned 10-1. Gosden has since established himself as the leading trainer in the history of this race with six winners in total.
Quick Ransom (1993) was a popular winner for Mark Johnston who would also win with Yavana’s Pace (1998), the latter defying 9st 10lbs.
More recent well-supported winners include Open Eagle (2014), Prize Money (2016) and Farhan (2021).
Litigant was another notable winner in 2015. He had been a shock 33-1 winner of the Ebor Handicap at York the same season.
Key November Handicap Trials
It is impossible to single out any particular trials for the November Handicap with recent winners coming from a wide variety of races.
The change in the going at this time of year is a major factor and it is often soft-ground horses who do best.
November Handicap Betting Trends
There have only been two winning favourites in this race since 1995; Open Eagle (2014) and Farhan (2021). That being said, the last nine winners have all returned at odds of 10-1 or shorter.
Shock results include Royal Cavalier (2001) at 50-1 and Turbo (2003) at 25-1.
The age of the winners has varied between three and seven.
Three three-year-olds have won since 2007; Malt or Mash (2007), Prize Money (2016) and Farhan (2021).
The oldest winner during the same period was the seven-year-old Litigant in 2015.
The most successful weight range has been 8st 10lbs to 8st 13lbs. This weight range accounted for five consecutive winners between 2007 and 2011. Yavana’s Pace (1998) and Litigant (2015) both carried 9st 10lbs to victory, the highest winning weight in the November Handicap in modern times.
November Handicap – Top Trainers and Jockeys
John Gosden is the leading trainer in history in this race with six winners; Hieroglyphic (1991), Turgenev (1992), Sabadilla (1997), Charm School (2009), Zuider Zee (2011) and Royal Line (2018).
There has been a growing influence from National Hunt trainers targeting this race with Alan King (On To Victory 2020) and Harry Fry (Metier 2022) both among recent winners.
Four jockeys have won the November Handicap on three occasions; Steve Donoghue, Billy Nevett, Joe Mercer and Willie Carson.
Popular Questions
When is the November Handicap?
The November Handicap is held on Saturday 11th November at 3:13 pm.
The 15:13 race is held at Doncaster Racecourse.
What are important facts about November Handicap?
Here are some important facts about November Handicap:
- The November Handicap is run at Doncaster Racecourse, Great Britain
- The November Handicap is for horses aged 3 and older
- The November Handicap is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain
- The November Handicap distance is 1 mile 3 furlongs and 197 yards
Summary of November Handicap
Thank you for reading our November Handicap guide.
It is one of the toughest handicaps of the flat season and often ran in testing condition.
If you enjoy watching races take place at Doncaster Racecourse then make sure you check out our Doncaster Racecourse betting tips page.
It is best to side with a horse with good stamina who is relatively fresh.
For more races in November check out our November Races page.
