Cheltenham’s New Course hosts the two-day Christmas Meeting on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 December 2025 as anticipation builds for the biggest events in the National Hunt season.
The baubles, mulled wine and family crowds may convey festive cheer, yet there is a seriousness to the racing as punters look for formbook clues on the road towards March’s Cheltenham Festival.
Cheltenham December Gold Cup Tips from Aidan Coleman
Aidan Coleman famously landed the 2019 Stayers’ Hurdle on Paisley Park - one of four wins as a jockey at the Cheltenham Festival. We asked him for his best bet in the feature race of the Christmas Meeting - the December Gold Cup.
AC: I'd be really, really strong on Holy Joe Smoke in the December Gold Cup for the Skeltons. Obviously they don't need any introduction after winning the Paddy Power and then what used to be the Hennessy last week.
This horse ran really well over further at Cheltenham earlier on in this season, and then it had a really good run in the Paddy Power where it was third behind Panic Attack.
I think this track - the new course - which is a lot stiffer than the old course, will suit it a lot better than the last run there. So therefore the form over further and the staying at a sharper track is going to be massively in its favour.
I do think it'll go off favourite on the day as well!
What is the Christmas Meeting at Cheltenham?
Two days at jump racing’s spiritual home, where connections quietly assess whether their charges will belong on bigger stages later in the season.
The programme blends novice hurdles and chases. There is one graded race across the two-day meeting (the Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle over three miles on Saturday). Instead, the focus is on premier handicaps and cross-country contests.
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Day 1 Races at the Cheltenham Christmas Meeting
| Start Time | Race | Distance | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:05 | The British E.B.F. National Hunt Novices’ Hurdle Race (Class 3) (Qualifier) | 2m abt 1f | Hurdle |
| 12:40 | The Santa - The Visit 'Chasing Excellence Novices' Steeple Chase (Class 2) | 2m abt 4 1/2f | Steeple Chase |
| 13:15 | The Catesby Estates Handicap Hurdle Race (Class 3) | 2m abt 1f | Hurdle |
| 13:50 | The Turners Handicap Steeple Chase (Class 1) (Premier Handicap) | 3m abt 2 1/2f | Steeple Chase |
| 14:25 | The Unibet Middle Distance Veterans’ Chase Series (A Handicap Steeple Chase) (Class 2) | 2m abt 4 1/2f | Steeple Chase |
| 15:00 | The Glenfarclas Crystal Cup Cross Country Handicap Steeple Chase (Class 2) | 3m abt 5 1/2f | Steeple Chase |
| 15:35 | The CITIPOST Handicap Hurdle Race (Class 2) | Abt 3m | Hurdle |
Key Horses to Watch on Day 1 at Cheltenham
A key horse to watch on Day 1 is L'Homme Presse, fourth in the 2024 Gold Cup, who will try to end 2025 as he began it. He goes in Friday’s £100,000 Turners Handicap Chase (13:50) over the Gold Cup track having won the Cotswold Chase on Trials Day in January.
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Day 2 Races: December Gold Cup takes centre stage
| Start Time | Race | Distance | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:10 | The JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle (Novices’ Championship Hurdle Series Qualifier) (Class 2) | 2m abt 1f | Hurdle |
| 12:40 | The Michael Eakins Senior Novices’ Limited Handicap Steeple Chase (Class 3) | 3m abt 1½f | Steeple Chase |
| 13:15 | The Quintessentially Mares' Handicap Steeple Chase (Class 3) (Challenger Mares' Series Qualifier) | 2m abt 4½f | Steeple Chase |
| 13:50 | The Support The Hunt Family Fund December Gold Cup (A Handicap Steeple Chase) (Class 1) (Premier Handicap) | 2m abt 4½f | Steeple Chase |
| 14:25 | The Read Meg Nicholls' Blog At BetMGM.co.uk Handicap Steeplechase (Class 2) | 2m abt 1/2f | Steeple Chase |
| 15:00 | The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle Race (Grade 2) | Abt 3m | Hurdle |
| 15:35 | The Download The BetMGM App Mares' Handicap Hurdle (Class 2) | 2m abt 4½f | Hurdle |
Saturday belongs to the December Gold Cup (13:50), the meeting’s headline Premier Handicap Chase over roughly 2m4½f and 17 fences on the New Course.
Outside of the headline race, there is still plenty of big racs to watch on Day 2. For example, the 12.40 features The Jukebox Kid - Jake Price's ante-post selection for the Welsh Grand National.
December Gold Cup 2025: Three Others to Consider
Jagwar
Four from five over fences, his jumping has sharpened and his profile suggests a horse arriving at the right moment, while the handicapper (up 9lb to 148) leaves scope for improvement. He was taken out of the Paddy Power Gold Cup due to the soft ground after rain during the meeting.
Vincenzo
Two wins and three seconds over fences. His chances underlined by Panic Attack’s subsequent exploits at Newbury having edged out Vincenzo by 4 lengths in the Paddy Power last month.
Colonel Harry
A horse whose engine fits this middle-distance corridor. A winner at Aintree last month in the William Hill Grand Sefton Handicap Chase, if pace collapses or the ground deepens he poses a credible threat to the market favourites.
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Why it matters for the Cheltenham Festival 2026
The Christmas Meeting has long served as a key lens for the bigger races to come. It shifts market confidence, yard intent and the mental map of the season ahead.
As twilight descends across Cleeve Hill and crowds drift towards the exits, some horses will have announced themselves while others will leave questions hanging in the air.
What is certain is Cheltenham’s December theatre never passes quietly.