Drawing to a close on Saturday, 13 December is the two-day Cheltenham December Meeting of 2025 headlined by the eponymous December Gold Cup. The home of jumps racing also has a Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Trial and some decent handicaps on its supporting card in the Cotswolds.
Kicking off with a Triumph Hurdle Trial, there are some mares only races over hurdles and fences too. Unlike the other fixtures in the autumn, the New Course which its even greater emphasis on galloping replaces the Old for the winter months. A staying novices’ limited handicap chase also takes place, alongside a two-mile open handicap over fences.
There’s never a dull moment at the Cheltenham December Meeting with this card taking place just 12 days before Christmas. It gives our horse racing experts one last chance to look over Cheltenham bookies before New Year’s Day in search of value in their Saturday selections. Form from previous fixtures plays its part in that, of course.
It’s not all about prices. Some horses relish the test of Cleeve Hill and climbing up again to the finish. Others see their stamina sapped by the undulations of Prestbury Park. If you know a bit more about the runners taking part at Cheltenham, then it helps you reached more informed decisions. Here is our experts’ analysis of the entire card.
Cheltenham December Meeting 2025 Day 2 Preview for Saturday, 13 December
12:10 – 2m 179y Class 2 Triumph Hurdle Trial
Strong finish 💪
One Horse Town stays on to win the @jcbmachines Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle 🙌🏼 pic.twitter.com/kmVIp5ie1v
— CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) November 15, 2025
It was hard not to be impressed by ONE HORSE TOWN making all in testing conditions in the Grade 2 equivalent of this race at the November Meeting. Although James Owen’s charge has a 7lb penalty for it here, he turned away all-comers. The sixth home has come out and landed a Listed race around Aintree last weekend as well. One Horse Town is a Cheltenham horse that appeals to land a five-timer.
Adam Nichol runner Minella Study carrying the same penalty for only scoring in Listed company at Wetherby hardly seems fair, but those are the race terms. The best of the Irish contingent on Flat ratings, meanwhile, is Denis Hogan newcomer Genealogy. Whether he unleashes the ex-Ballydoyle inmate first time out over hurdles here remains to be seen.
The four-race maiden Crooked Path has Jonny Burke down to ride for the same yard. Joseph O’Brien and powerful owners Simon Munir & Isaac Souede could bring Cinammon Coco over under a 4lb penalty for his Down Royal win, but he couldn’t follow-up on it. Westlain popped up at 66/1 around Fontwell for Jack Jones, meanwhile.
Nicky Henderson has French import Macshadow Des Crai potentially make his British bow here, but he hasn’t better third in two bumpers and a hurdle race across the Channel. Dan Skelton might pitch Arnolphe into this on his racecourse debut for the Rothschild family. Chepstow second and third Wolf Rayet and Matiwo could take steps forward from their October bows if declared.
12:40 – 3m 1f 56y Class 3 Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase
Nice … .👀@benpauling1 has always liked The Jukebox Kid 😍
And it’s easy to understand why, judged by his chasing debut @CarlisleRaces pic.twitter.com/ujDACm2Ri4
— Racing TV (@RacingTV) November 2, 2025
Ben Pauling’s aforementioned The Jukebox Kid also comes from an Irish Point background. The difficulty here is following-up off a 9lb hike in the handicap. He may well be up to it, though. Josh The Boss inherits topweight for the Twiston-Davies and Neild families, but his frontrunning style under an amateur jockey might not work over this longer trip.
It would be wonderful to see Henry Daly win a steeplechase with the massive Hillcrest, who looked so promising before a lengthy injury. He hasn’t yet shown the same ability he had over hurdles prior to his setback, however. Lurking lower in the weights is Henderson’s As The Fella Says, who shaped like a stiffer track would suit him after coming second on his bow over fences at Southwell.
Given two placed efforts over three-and-a-half and three-and-three-quarter miles, it’s hard to say what Venetia Williams runner Zertakt wants. He seemed to empty at the final fences at Newcastle last time and had no extra, extending his maiden streak over fences to six starts. Holokea has done well since switching to fences for Mickey Bowen with a win and two seconds, so could go well.
1:15 – 2m 4f 127y Class 3 Mares’ Handicap Chase (0-125)
A fantastic three-timer here today for @harryskelton89 and @DSkeltonRacing as Theonewedreamof lands the @oddschecker ‘Challenger’ Stayers’ Handicap Chase! pic.twitter.com/qK0i3d5EId
— Exeter Racecourse (@ExeterRaces) November 7, 2025
Other angles into proceedings here involve looking at the placed horses in the Cheltenham result from a Premier Handicap over course and distance at the April Meeting. Georgi Girl ran third that day for Philip Hobbs & Johnson White, but the six-year-old hasn’t won a steeplechase yet. Off 2lb lower and with conditional jockey Callum Pritchard taking 3lb more with his claim, she could be in the frame again.
So might re-opposing fourth Party Vibes for Daly, although she’s difficult to catch right. Team Tizzard run Ilovethenightlife, but she was no match for either She Is For Me Boys at Kempton or It’s Easy around Bangor. Both of those must enter calculations by virtue of being last time out winners. A number of these jump right, a habit which isn’t much good for Cheltenham.
Those comments apply to Realta Liath, who landed her chasing debut for Warren Greatrex at Fontwell and now has an 8lb hike. No mare has won this on reappearance, so those few coming off a long break may find a lack of race fitness hampers their hopes. JP McManus will probably have a runner, but That’s Nice didn’t look fluent or natural on her bow in this sphere for Henderson.
1:50 – 2m 4f 127y December Gold Cup (Premier Handicap)
That saw VINCENZO finish second and HOE JOLY SMOKE run on into third behind Panic Attack. The winner of the Paddy Power Gold Cup followed-up in the Coral Gold Cup over further at Newbury, so the form looks good. Sam Thomas trains Vincenzo and, while it’s a pity that stable jockey Dylan Johnston has ridden out his claim since, he should come forward for that reappearance here.
Hoe Joly Smoke has finished third on both starts at Cheltenham races this season so far. Stamina isn’t an issue for him, so he should be staying on when others have cried enough. A word on the Irish challengers with Joseph O’Brien now facing the prospect of running French import Kim Roque from out of the handicap thanks to Gaw Law.
Gavin Cromwell novice chaser Will The Wise ran sixth in the Pertemps Final here in the spring and fourth in the Troytown over fences around Navan the last day. He could have a pot like this in him for sure. The others don’t make much appeal with the November Meeting form looking key to understanding this race, for all action is now on the New Course.
2:25 – 2m 69y Class 2 Handicap Chase
What a finish to this one! 🤩
Triple Trade wins a thrilling Hine Solicitors Talking Sense Handicap Chase! 🥇#ITVRacing | @brendanp1995 | @TizzardRacing pic.twitter.com/B3RGH4bQGO
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) November 16, 2025
Much depends on whether JPR One frames the weights off a mark of 153 or if they go up 9lb and Gunsight Ridge has the welter burden. Team Tizzard have course specialist Triple Trade much lower down the handicap and he cashed in on the assessor finally cutting some slack when landing the November Meeting’s equivalent of this.
The way that race finished off, however, suggests re-opposing runner-up TORNEO would’ve reeled him in over the extra distance now. He appeals for Snowden and Gavin Sheehan to go one better at the Cheltenham December Meeting. Torneo could run from 1lb out of the handicap, but that’s not an issue when he’s already up 4lb for a neck defeat.
Country Mile hasn’t changed in terms of ratings for two defeats by Alnilam and won nicely over hurdles for the Skeltons at this meeting 12 months ago. David’s Well, meanwhile, is a perfect three from three over fences for Chris Gordon and son Freddie, but he’s going up in class to a hotter race now. Elsewhere, Jane Williams’ Excelero and Highlands Legacy for Jonjo O’Neill and sons both have plenty of further progress in them.
3:00 – 2m 7f 213y Grade 2 Albert Bartlett Trial (Registered as the Bristol Novices’ Hurdle)
Scottish raider Conman John is already a Cheltenham winner following his October Old Course win over the trip. Lucinda Russell’s charge may well gallop them into the ground again, but has always been a short price to do so ante-post. It could instead pay to look at others running in the only graded race at the Cheltenham December Meeting instead.
Skelton has three entries, but will surely split them up. Real Quartz is the pick of that trio with an unbeaten record. Henderson struck in this race two years ago with a five-year-old and RECKLESS SPENDING has the pedigree that suggests he can shed his maiden tag now stepped up in trip. Out of the same dam as Dawn Run heroine Air Of Entitlement, he couldn’t go the pace on his hurdles debut.
Reckless Spending is by the sire of Bob Olinger, Don Cossack, Hiddenvalley Lake and the yard’s ill-fated star Shishkin. Many of these came into their own when tackling staying trips, so he’s bred for this job and should leave his early form well behind now stepped up to three miles. There’s no reason why Kasino Des Mottes should beat Conman John off 2lb worse terms from October, meanwhile.
Nigel Twiston-Davies has won the Bristol Novices’ Hurdle five times in his career, but this is asking an awful lot of four-year-old Intosomethinggood or the recent yard recruit Tobyshill, who landed an Irish Point just 63 days before a potential UK, stable, Rules and hurdling debut here. Minella Mission completes the possible runners.
3:35 – 2m 4f 56y Class 2 Mares’ Handicap Hurdle
So good, so good, so GOOD! ✨
Sweet Caryline sees off Jubilee Alpha in the BetMGM Paul & Richard Barber Memorial Mares’ Handicap Hurdle 🥇#ITVRacing | @brendanp1995 | @TizzardRacing pic.twitter.com/dNQ1z2djVG
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) November 8, 2025
Also of interest besides Sweet Caryline on a form marker through Jubilee Alpha is Fergal O’Brien runner SIOG GEAL. There’s a huge swing of 15lb in weight for her with the Paul Nicholls mare from their Windsor Winter Million encounter in January. Siog Geal has since landed a Grade 2 limited handicap around Newbury and shaped nicely behind Hartington up at Carlisle on reappearance.
Nurse Susan won this for Skelton two years ago off 2lb lower, but she’s had her problems since that success. Plenty of the other entries will be racing from well out of the handicap if Jubilee Alpha takes up her engagement here, but two course winners to note are Lucy Wadham’s Pretending and Irish raider Lagoon Nebula, who pulled off a surprise win here in April.
