December Gold Cup Odds
The December Gold Cup at Cheltenham is always an excellent race just before Christmas and we will have all the betting for the big contest right on the site as soon as the bookmakers release the prices. You can find the latest odds for the December Gold Cup a little closer to the time.
Cheltenham 13:50
Nyetimber December Gold Cup Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap) (GBB Race)
- 4yo+, 14 Runners
- Jumps,Turf , 2m 4f 127y , GOOD TO SOFT, Soft in places (GoingStick: 6.1)
- Winner £71,188, 2nd £26,713, 3rd £13,375, 4th £6,663, 5th £3,350, 6th £1,675
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• 1 (5) = Horse number with the draw number in brackets.
• Number alongside the horse name is the days since the horse last ran.
• Numbers/letters under the jockey silk is the horse form with the most recent figure on the right. Numbers = finishing position (0 = finished outside the top 10), P = pulled up, F = fell, U = Unseated, B = brought down, R = refused, C = carried out, D = disqualified, HR = hit rails, L = left at start, O = ran out, S = slipped up, V = void race. A dash between figures indicates a year between the runs and a slash indicates a new season.
• % alongside jockey/trainer names = strike rate in last 30 days.
• Key to pointers: C = Course winner, D = Distance winner, CD = Course & Distance winner, BF = Beaten Favourite last time out, WS = Has had wind surgery since last run, LT = Longest Travellers, b = Wearing blinkers, b1 = Wearing blinkers for the first time, h = Wearing a hood, h1 = Wearing a hood for the first time, t = Wearing a tongue strap, t1 = Wearing a tongue strap for the first time, v = Wearing a visor, v1 = Wearing a visor for the first time, p = Wearing cheek pieces. OR = Official Rating. RPR = Racing Post Rating. Topspeed is a figure calculated using race times and the going to show how fast the horse can run.
December Gold Cup Tips
You can check out our tips nearer the off...
What is the December Gold Cup?
The December Gold Cup is a Grade Three handicap race run over a distance of just over two miles and four furlongs at Cheltenham racecourse each December,
The race is one of the key handicap contests of the season and in total there are 17 fences to be jumped in the Prestbury Park contest.
The Cheltenham race has been known by various sponsors down the years including Massey Ferguson, Boylesports and Spinal Research but has been under its current name since 2014.
The Caspian Caviar Gold Cup is leg two of the big Cheltenham handicap race double alongside the Paddy Power Gold Cup with a number of horses likely to take part in both races.
What happened in the 2023 December Gold Cup?
In a pulsating finish the front running Il Ridoto, under an inspired Bryony Frost ride, was heartbreakingly denied by FUGITIF in a photo finish. Gavin Sheehan timed the ride on Richard Hobson's charge to perfection to just nab the winner in the shadow of the post in one of the most exciting renewals in recent memory.
The history of the December Gold Cup
First run in 1963, the December Gold Cup (now run at Caspian Caviar Gold Cup) is a firm fixture on the jumps racing calendar with thousands of racegoers descending on the Gloucestershire venue before Christmas for an excellent afternoon of sport.
Three horses have hit the headlines by winning the BetVictor Gold Cup and the December version in the same season with Pegwell Bay, Senor El Betrutti and Exotic Dance the famous trio to have won the Cheltenham double. The latter of those was the last one back in 2006 and all eyes will be on the race again this year to see if we can add another name to that illustrious list.
The prize money on offer will always ensure we get a stellar field for the race and more often than not we will see a number of potential Cheltenham Festival horses stake their claims at the same venue.
Who is the most iconic winner of the December Gold Cup?
We have already mentioned the three winners to have won the Cheltenham handicap double but they aren't the only stand-out names on the roll of honour. Frodon is one name that comes to mind as a great horse to have win the race, while the same can be said of Pendil who famously won the race back in 1973 for Fred Winter and Richard Pitman.
There is no doubt though that Flyingbolt is the most iconic horse to have won the race with the legendary horse claiming the honours in 1965. Officially the second best horse of all time behind Arkle, Flyingbolt won the December Gold Cup carrying 12-06 in 1965 to garner the headlines and put his name at the top of the national hunt tree. The tom Dreaper trained horse would go on to even greater heights but his win in this race should not be forgotten.
Are there any trials for the December Gold Cup?
The clear and obvious trial for the December Gold Cup is the Paddy Power Gold Cup as we have already mentioned with a number of horses likely to run both contests if connections see fit. Outside of that, the runners can come from a variety of contests including the edition from the season before with course and distance form always worth considering when it comes to the hustle and bustle of Cheltenham handicap races.
Who is the most successful jockey in the December Gold Cup?
Richard Johnson has had one of the greatest careers of all time with thousands of winners to his name and he has been particularly excellent at Cheltenham. Johnson has won the December Gold Cup three times so far with Legal Right (1999), Monkerhostin (2004) and Village Vic (2015) all scoring for the multiple champion.
Who is the most successful trainer in the December Gold Cup?
There is no surprise to see the great Paul Nicholls at the top of the tree in the December Gold Cup with five wins to his name so far. The Ditcheat handler has won the race with Poquelin (2009 + 2010), Unioniste (2012) and Frodon (2016 + 2018) all crossing the finish line in first place.