December Gold Cup
Grade 3 race | |
Location | Cheltenham Racecourse Cheltenham, England |
---|---|
Inaugurated | 1963 |
Race type | Steeplechase |
Sponsor | Racing Post |
Website | Cheltenham |
Race information | |
Distance | 2m 4f 127y (4,139 metres) |
Surface | Turf |
Track | Left-handed |
Qualification | Four-years-old and up |
Weight | Handicap |
Purse | £130,000 (2021) 1st: £74,035 |
2021 | ||
Coole Cody | Zanza | Midnight Shadow |
Previous years | ||
---|---|---|
2020 | ||
Chatham Street Lad | Midnight Shadow | Benatar |
2019 | ||
Warthog | Spiritofthegames | Robin Des Foret |
2018 | ||
Frodon | Cepage | Guitar Pete |
2017 | ||
Guitar Pete | Clan Des Obeaux | King's Odyssey |
2016 | ||
Frodon | Aso | Village Vic |
2015 | ||
Village Vic | Champagne West | Tenor Nivernais |
2014 | ||
Niceonefrankie | Barrakilla | Edgardo Sol |
2013 | ||
Double Ross | Cantlow | Colour Squadron |
2012 | ||
Unioniste | Walkon | Golden Chieftain |
2011 | ||
Quantitativeeasing | Medermit | Roudoudou Ville |
2010-2001 | ||
---|---|---|
2010 | ||
Poquelin | Great Endeavour | Sunnyhillboy |
2009 | ||
Poquelin | Razor Royale | Skippers Brig |
2007 | ||
Tamarinbleu | Le Volfoni | Patman Du Charmil |
2006 | ||
Exotic Dancer | Knowhere | Taranis |
2005 | ||
Sir Oj | Le Passing | Lacdoudal |
2004 | ||
Monkerhostin | Thisthatandtother | Europa |
2003 | ||
Iris Royal | Risk Accessor | Telemoss |
2002 | ||
Fondmort | Foly Pleasant | Youlneverwalkalone |
2000-1991 | ||
---|---|---|
2000 | ||
Go Roger Go | Robbo | Connor Macleod |
1999 | ||
Legal Right | Nordance Prince | Irbee |
1998 | ||
Northern Starlight | Simply Dashing | Mr Strong Gale |
1997 | ||
Senor El Betrutti | Challenger du Luc | Bells Life |
1996 | ||
Addington Boy | Go Universal | Northern Hide |
1994 | ||
Dublin Flyer | Nuaffe | Southolt |
1993 | ||
Fragrant Dawn | Young Hustler | Freeline Finishing |
1992 | ||
Another Coral | Second Schedual | Tipping Tim |
1991 | ||
Kings Fountain | Another Coral | Ida's Delight |
1990-1987 | ||
---|---|---|
1989 | ||
Clever Folly | Welsh Oak | Barnbrook Again |
1988 | ||
Pegwell Bay | Beau Ranger | Oregon Trail |
1987 | ||
Bishops Yarn | Music Be Magic | Raise An Argument |
The December Gold Cup (run since 2021 as the Racing Post Gold Cup) is a Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase in Great Britain which is open to horses aged four years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 2 miles and 4½ furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 127 yards, or 4,139 metres), and during its running there are seventeen fences to be jumped. It is a handicap race, and it is scheduled to take place each year in December.
The event was first run in 1963. It was originally sponsored by Massey Ferguson and known as the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup. The race continued with this title until 1980, but since then it has had various sponsors and consequently several title changes. The 2005 running was named the Robin Cook Memorial Gold Cup. This was in memory of Robin Cook (1946–2005), a former Foreign Secretary who was a keen racing enthusiast. Boylesports supported the race from 2006 to 2009 as the Boylesports.com Gold Cup. The 2010 race was run as the Vote A P Gold Cup as part of a successful campaign to encourage racegoers to vote for Tony McCoy in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. In 2011 the racehorse owner Andy Stewart began backing the race to promote the Spinal Research charity, following a spinal injury suffered by his son Paul in 2008. The race was run as the Spinal Research The Atlantic 4 Gold Cup in 2011, the Paul Stewart IronSpine Charity Challenge Gold Cup in 2012 and was then named the Stewart Family Thank You Gold Cup in 2013. From 2014 to 2020 the was run as the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup and since 2021 it has been titled the Racing Post Gold Cup. The race has become commonly known in the racing media as the December Gold Cup.[1]
The race is often contested by horses which ran previously in the Paddy Power Gold Cup (also formerly known by other titles). Three have won both races in the same season – Pegwell Bay, Senor El Betrutti and Exotic Dancer.
Records[]
Most successful horse (2 wins) :
- – (2009),(2010)
- Frodon - (2016, 2018)
Leading jockey (3 wins):
- Richard Johnson – Legal Right (1999), Monkerhostin (2004) Village Vic (2015)
Leading trainer (5 wins):
- Paul Nicholls – Poquelin (2009, 2010), Unioniste (2012), Frodon (2016, 2018)
Winners[]
Year | Winner | Age | Weight | Jockey | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1963 | Limeking | 6 | 10–12 | ||
1964 | 8 | 10-06 | Tommy Carberry | ||
1965 | Flyingbolt | 6 | 12-06 | Pat Taaffe | Tom Dreaper |
1966 | 5 | 10-09 | |||
no race 1967 [a] | |||||
1968 | Tassilo | 10 | 10-01 | Fulke Walwyn | |
1969 | 7 | 11–13 | Ron Barry | Gordon W. Richards | |
1970 | Simian | 8 | 11-08 | ||
1971 | Leap Frog | 7 | 12-01 | Tom Dreaper | |
1972 | Arctic Bow | 7 | 10–12 | ||
1973 | Pendil | 8 | 12-07 | Richard Pitman | Fred Winter |
1974 | 10 | 10-06 | Harry Thomson Jones | ||
1975 | 8 | 11-10 | Ron Barry | Peter Easterby | |
no race 1976 [b] | |||||
1977 | Even Melody | 8 | 11-02 | ||
1978 | The Snipe | 8 | 10-00 | ||
1979 | Father Delaney | 7 | 10–10 | Peter Easterby | |
1980 | Bueche Giorod | 9 | 10-00 | Jenny Pitman | |
no race 1981 [c] | |||||
1982 | 6 | 10–11 | John Francome | Fred Winter | |
1983 | 8 | 11-10 | Fred Winter | ||
1984 | 6 | 09-10 | |||
1985 | Combs Ditch | 9 | 11-09 | Colin Brown | David Elsworth |
1986 | 6 | 10-07 | |||
1987 | Bishops Yarn | 8 | 10-07 | Toby Balding | |
1988 | 7 | 10–13 | Tim Forster | ||
1989 | Clever Folly | 9 | 10-04 | Gordon W. Richards | |
no race 1990 [c] | |||||
1991 | 8 | 11–10 | |||
1992 | Another Coral | 9 | 11-04 | Richard Dunwoody | David Nicholson |
1993 | 9 | 10-02 | Declan Murphy | Martin Pipe | |
1994 | 8 | 10-02 | Tim Forster | ||
no race 1995 [d] | |||||
1996 | 8 | 11–10 | Tony Dobbin | Gordon W. Richards | |
1997 | 8 | 11-03 | Graham Bradley | ||
1998 | Northern Starlight | 7 | 10-01 | Tony McCoy | Martin Pipe |
1999 | Legal Right | 6 | 10–13 | Richard Johnson | Jonjo O'Neill |
2000 | Go Roger Go | 8 | 11-00 | Norman Williamson | Edward O'Grady |
no race 2001 [d] | |||||
2002 | 6 | 10-05 | Mick Fitzgerald | Nicky Henderson | |
2003 | [e] | 7 | 10–13 | Mick Fitzgerald | Nicky Henderson |
2004 | 7 | 10-02 | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs | |
2005 | Sir Oj | 8 | 10-00 | Paul Carberry | Noel Meade |
2006 | Exotic Dancer | 6 | 11-04 | Tony Dobbin | Jonjo O'Neill |
2007 | 7 | 11-08 | David Pipe | ||
no race 2008 [f] | |||||
2009 | 6 | 11-08 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls | |
2010 | 7 | 11-07 | Paul Nicholls | ||
2011 | Quantitativeeasing | 6 | 10-07 | Barry Geraghty | Nicky Henderson |
2012 | Unioniste | 4 | 10-00 | Harry Derham | Paul Nicholls |
2013 | Double Ross | 7 | 10-08 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Nigel Twiston-Davies |
2014 | 8 | 11-05 | Aidan Coleman | Venetia Williams | |
2015 | Village Vic | 8 | 10-00 | Richard Johnson | Philip Hobbs |
2016 | Frodon | 4 | 10-10 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Paul Nicholls |
2017 | 7 | 10-02 | Nicky Richards | ||
2018 | Frodon | 6 | 11-12 | Bryony Frost | Paul Nicholls |
2019 | Warthog | 7 | 10-03 | David Noonan | David Pipe |
2020 | Chatham Street Lad | 8 | 10-10 | Darragh O'Keeffe | Michael Winters |
2021 | Coole Cody | 10 | 10-12 | Adam Wedge | Evan Williams |
- ^ The 1967 running was abandoned due to a foot-and-mouth disease epidemic
- ^ The race was cancelled in 1976 because of frost
- ^ a b It was abandoned in both 1981 and 1990 because of snow
- ^ a b The 1995 and 2001 races were cancelled because of frost
- ^ The 2003 edition was run on Cheltenham's Old Course over 2 miles and 4½ furlongs
- ^ It was abandoned in 2008 due to waterlogging
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Kerr, Tom. "Double Ross holds off Cantlow for Cup win". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
- Racing Post:
- pedigreequery.com – Boylesports.com Gold Cup Chase – Cheltenham.
- Ladbrokes Pocket Companion 1990/91. Aesculus Press. 1990. p. 44. ISBN 1-871093-21-X.
External links[]
- Race Recordings 1979 – 2003 [1]
- National Hunt races in Great Britain
- Cheltenham Racecourse
- National Hunt chases
- Recurring sporting events established in 1963
- 1963 establishments in England