Thanks to the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree Grand National meeting, spring is the season most associated with jump racing highlights. However, the festive period isn’t too far behind.
The first weekend in December begins with a bang, as Sandown stages the Tingle Creek Chase and Aintree rolls out the Grand National fences for the Becher Chase. From there, the racing calendar keeps the good times rolling into Boxing Day and beyond. Always an excellent time of year to be a sports fan, here we pick out five not-to-be-missed events from the stacked racing schedule.
December Gold Cup
- Where – Cheltenham
- When – Saturday 13 December
Where else to start than at the home of the jumping game? Hot on the heels of November’s Paddy Power Gold Cup around the Old Course, the action switches to the New Course for the December Gold Cup.
This 2m4½f handicap chase serves as the centrepiece of the December Meeting and always attracts a fiendishly competitive field. Having claimed the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase over course and distance in March, the Oliver Greenall & Josh Guerriero-trained Jagwar heads the early betting.
With five previous wins, Paul Nicholls is the most successful trainer in the history of the race and has the hat-trick-seeking Twinjets among the current entries. Another to note is Dan Skelton’s Panic Attack, who has claimed the Paddy Power Gold Cup and Coral Gold Cup already this season.
Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle
- Where – Ascot
- When – Saturday 20 December
High-profile chases dominate the festive racing period, but there are several big targets for those who ply their trade over the smaller obstacles. Making its debut in 2001, this 1m7½f affair is one of the newer additions to the December schedule but has quickly established itself as a significant pre-Christmas target.
Renowned for his success with speedy hurdlers, Nicky Henderson tops the trainers’ table with five previous wins. The master of Seven Barrows has two entries this year, in the shape of the JP McManus duo Iberico Lord and Joyeuse. The former appears to be badly out of form, but the latter has solid claims on her William Hill Hurdle success back in February. However, the name on everyone’s lips is the Joe Tizzard runner, Alexei, who stormed to a six-length success in the Greatwood Handicap Hurdle on his most recent outing.
Ladbrokes King George VI Chase
- Where – Kempton
- When – Friday 26 December
When you think of the festive period, there is one race which immediately springs to mind. We are, of course, referring to the magnificent King George VI Chase. First run in 1937, this Grade 1 3m event is synonymous with Boxing Day and boasts an incredible roll of honour. Wayward Lad (three times), Desert Orchid (four times) and the incredible Kauto Star (five times) are among the racing luminaries to have delighted racing fans over the Christmas period.
Having skipped the 2024 edition, the Willie Mullins-trained Gaelic Warrior looks set to get his chance this year. On the back of a thrilling victory in the John Durkan Memorial Chase, he just shades favouritism with most bookmakers. Nicky Henderson’s Jango Baie is next in line following an excellent win in the 1965 Chase. And don’t rule out the Harry Redknapp-owned The Jukebox Man, who has yet to taste defeat in three starts over fences.
Coral Welsh Grand National
- Where – Chepstow
- When – Saturday 27 December
With the presents unwrapped and Christmas dinner tucked away, there’s barely time to draw breath on the racing front. Just one day after the King George, Chepstow plays host to its biggest and best day of the year.
A marathon 3m6½f is the trip for the Welsh Grand National, with the invariably testing conditions regularly turning this into a truly arduous affair. With the top eight in the market priced between 10/1 and 14/1, the 2025 edition presents a typically tricky puzzle. Standout names in the field include Haiti Couleurs and Intense Raffles, who have landed the past two editions of the Irish Grand National. Nick Gifford’s Aworkinprogress appears to be close to the finished article and arrives seeking a seventh win on the spin.
Savills Chase
- Where – Leopardstown
- When – Sunday 28 December
It wouldn’t be a festive racing party without some Irish involvement. Getting underway on Boxing Day and continuing through to 29 December, the Leopardstown Christmas Festival provides four days of top-class jumps racing entertainment.
The staying chase highlight arrives on day three with the 2025 running of the Grade 1 Savills Chase. If the big guns stand their ground, fans are in for a post-Christmas treat. Included among the current entries are Ryanair Chase winner Fact To File, reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup king Inothewayurthikin, and the brilliant Galopin Des Champs, who has claimed the past two editions of this.
With wall-to-wall football and the PDC World Championships thrown into the festive mix, sports fans may take some persuading to relinquish control of the sofa and remote this Christmas.
