There will be seven jump races brought to us live by ITV racing this week, four from Cheltenham and a further three from Doncaster. Cheltenham’s feature race is the £125k December Gold Cup, a Premier Handicap.
- 1:50 Cheltenham: Nyetimber December Gold Cup Handicap Chase – Ga Law @ 6/1
- 2:05 Doncaster: bet365 Handicap Chase – Gaboriot @ 5/1
- 2:25 Cheltenham: BetMGM Handicap Chase – Triple Trade @ 13/2
- 2:40 Doncaster: bet365 Doncaster Mares’ Hurdle – West Balboa @ 1/2
- 3:00 Cheltenham: Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle – Skyjack Hijack @ 15/8
- 3:15 Doncaster: bet365 Handicap Hurdle – Lily Du Berlais @ 7/1
- 3:35 Cheltenham: BetMGM Mares’ Handicap Hurdle – Take No Chances @ 13/2
Cheltenham’s two-day Christmas Meeting concludes on Saturday, with their big race of the day, the December Gold Cup, opening the live coverage from ITV. Notable past winners include Flying Bolt, Pendil and Exotic Dancer. Paul Nicholls trained both two-time winners of this race, Poquelin in 2009 and 2010, and Frodon in 2016 and 2018.
Heading the betting is last year’s winner, Fugitif, for trainer Richard Hobson. Paul Nicholls is going for a record extending sixth win and he saddles Stage Star and Il Ridotto, the past two winners of the Paddy Power Gold Cup. Dan Skelton’s Madara and Jamie Snowden’s Ga Law are also amongst the fancied runners in a wide open renewal.
Also televised from Cheltenham will be the BetMGM Handicap Chase, the BetMGM Mares’ Handicap Hurdle and the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.
Saturday is also the second day of Doncaster’s Christmas Jumper fixture, with ITV broadcasting two valuable handicaps and a Listed Hurdle from the Yorkshire track.
The favourite for the 3m bet365 Handicap Chase is last year’s winner, Forward Plan, for trainer Anthony Honeyball. Amongst the challengers will be Gaboriot, trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, who was third in last month’s Grand Sefton Chase, and Does He Know for Kim Bailey who won the 3m2f Grimthorpe at the course back in March.