December Gold Cup

The December Gold Cup (run since 2022 as the Ais December Gold Cup) is a Premier Handicap 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.

December Gold Cup
(Caspian Caviar Gold Cup)
Premier Handicap race
LocationCheltenham Racecourse
Cheltenham, England
Inaugurated1963
Race typeSteeplechase
SponsorAis
WebsiteCheltenham
Race information
Distance2m 4f 127y (4,139 metres)
SurfaceTurf
TrackLeft-handed
QualificationFour-years-old and up
WeightHandicap
Purse£130,000 (2022)
1st: £74,035
December Gold Cup
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 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 in 2021 it was titled the Racing Post Gold Cup. The race has become commonly known in the racing media as the December Gold Cup.[1] and in 2022 Ais took over sponsorship and the word December appeared in the official race title. The race was give Grade 3 status when the National Hunt Pattern was revised in 1989 and was re-classified as a Premier Handicap from the 2022 running when Grade 3 status was renamed by the BHA.[2]

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) :

  • Poquelin – (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 Toss Taaffe Danny Morgan
1964 Flying Wild 8 10-06 Tommy Carberry Dan Moore
1965 Flyingbolt 6 12-06 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper
1966 The Laird 5 10-09 Jeff King Bob Turnell
1967 no race 1967 [lower-alpha 1]
1968 Tassilo 10 10-01 Aly Branford Fulke Walwyn
1969 Titus Oates 7 11–13 Ron Barry Gordon W. Richards
1970 Simian 8 11-08 David Moore Auriol Sinclair
1971 Leap Frog 7 12-01 Val O'Brien Tom Dreaper
1972 Arctic Bow 7 10–12 Andrew Turnell Bob Turnell
1973 Pendil 8 12-07 Richard Pitman Fred Winter
1974 Garnishee 10 10-06 David Mould Harry Thomson Jones
1975 Easby Abbey 8 11-10 Ron Barry Peter Easterby
1976 no race 1976 [lower-alpha 2]
1977 Even Melody 8 11-02 Colin Hawkins Neville Crump
1978 The Snipe 8 10-00 Anthony Webber John Webber
1979 Father Delaney 7 10–10 Alan Brown Peter Easterby
1980 Bueche Giorod 9 10-00 Bryan Smart Jenny Pitman
1981 no race 1981 [lower-alpha 3]
1982 Observe 6 10–11 John Francome Fred Winter
1983 Fifty Dollars More 8 11-10 Richard Linley Fred Winter
1984 Beau Ranger 6 09-10 John Hurst John Thorne
1985 Combs Ditch 9 11-09 Colin Brown David Elsworth
1986 Oregon Trail 6 10-07 Ronnie Beggan Simon Christian
1987 Bishops Yarn 8 10-07 Richard Guest Toby Balding
1988 Pegwell Bay 7 10–13 Brendan Powell Tim Forster
1989 Clever Folly 9 10-04 Neale Doughty Gordon W. Richards
1990 no race 1990 [lower-alpha 3]
1991 Kings Fountain 8 11–10 Anthony Tory Kim Bailey
1992 Another Coral 9 11-04 Richard Dunwoody David Nicholson
1993 Fragrant Dawn 9 10-02 Declan Murphy Martin Pipe
1994 Dublin Flyer 8 10-02 Brendan Powell Tim Forster
1995 no race 1995 [lower-alpha 4]
1996 Addington Boy 8 11–10 Tony Dobbin Gordon W. Richards
1997 Senor El Betrutti 8 11-03 Graham Bradley Susan Nock
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
2001 no race 2001 [lower-alpha 4]
2002 Fondmort 6 10-05 Mick Fitzgerald Nicky Henderson
2003 Iris Royal [lower-alpha 5] 7 10–13 Mick Fitzgerald Nicky Henderson
2004 Monkerhostin 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 Tamarinbleu 7 11-08 Denis O'Regan David Pipe
2008 no race 2008 [lower-alpha 6]
2009 Poquelin 6 11-08 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2010 Poquelin 7 11-07 Ian Popham 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 Niceonefrankie 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 Guitar Pete 7 10-02 Ryan Day 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
2022 no race 2022 [lower-alpha 4]
  1. The 1967 running was abandoned due to a foot-and-mouth disease epidemic
  2. The race was cancelled in 1976 because of frost
  3. It was abandoned in both 1981 and 1990 because of snow
  4. The 1995, 2001 and 2022 races were cancelled because of frost
  5. The 2003 edition was run on Cheltenham's Old Course over 2 miles and 4½ furlongs
  6. It was abandoned in 2008 due to waterlogging

See also

References
  1. Kerr, Tom. "Double Ross holds off Cantlow for Cup win". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  2. "Jump Pattern Committee update 22/23 season". British Horseracing Authority. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  • Race Recordings 1979 – 2003
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