Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live-blog coverage of what should be one of the great days in the jumping calendar: Paddy Power Gold Cup day at Cheltenham’s November meeting. Unfortunately, though, “should be” is doing the kind of heavy lifting in that sentence that Red Rum achieved in his second Grand National victory in 1974, because the prevailing fast ground has already seen the card shorn of several star names, and around two dozen of the original declarations in all. The original field of 15 for the Paddy Power Gold Cup, perhaps the biggest handicap chase in the first half of the winter campaign, is now down to 10 runners – July Flower is the latest absentee – while the “Big Two” in the Grade Two Arkle Trial – Kabral Du Mathan and Old Park Star, last year’s Supreme Novice Hurdle winner, are scratches too. It is disappointing and also deeply frustrating for the track, as it is difficult to know what else Jon Pullin, the clerk of the course, could have done. Sub-zero temperatur