December Gold Cup

The December Gold Cup at Cheltenham, recently known as the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup (2014-2020), is one of the most prestigious two-and-a-half-mile handicap chases of the season.

There have only been two dual winners; Poquelin (2009, 2010) and Frodon (2016 and 2018), both trained by Paul Nicholls.

Notable past winners include Flyingbolt (1965), Pendil (1973) and Pegwell Bay (1988).

Find out more December Gold Cup:

Contents

1 Race overview – Caspian Gold Cup
2 December Gold Cup 2023 Odds
3 December Gold Cup 2023 Tips
4 December Gold Cup Previous Winners
5 Famous December Gold Cup Winners
6 Key December Gold Cup Trials
7 December Gold Cup Betting Trends
8 December Gold Cup – Top Trainers and Jockeys
9 Betting on the December Gold Cup
10 Popular Questions
- 10.1 What are important facts about December Gold Cup?
11 Summary of the December Gold Cup
12 Related December Articles
13 Resources

Race overview – Caspian Gold Cup

Horses must be four years old or older to compete in the Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase, the December Gold Cup.

There are seventeen fences during the race, which is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of around 2 miles and 4 and a half furlongs (2 miles 4 furlongs and 127 yards, or 4,139 metres). It takes place in December every year.

December Gold Cup 2023 Odds

The December Gold Cup odds are listed below:

December Gold Cup Handicap Chase - BOG Date: Saturday 10th of December 2022 Time: 13:50 Details: 12 Runners Cheltenham.
Il Ridoto	9/2
Stolen Silver	5/1
War Lord	7/1
Simply The Betts	8/1
Sole Pretender	9/1
Frero Banbou	10/1
Coconut Splash	12/1
Fugitif	14/1
Fern Hill	20/1
Storm Control	25/1
Kauto Riko	33/1
Jacamar	40/1

December Gold Cup 2023 Tips

The December Gold Cup tips are below:

2 points to win for TBC at odds of TBC
1 point each way for TBC at odds of TBC

Many December Gold Cup horses will race in more races throughout the years. Stay updated on the horses and place ante-post bets if you want to wager on them.

December Gold Cup Previous 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 [a]
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 [b]
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 [c]
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 [c]
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 [d]
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 [d]
2002	Fondmort	6	10-05	Mick Fitzgerald	Nicky Henderson
2003	Iris Royal [e]	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 [f]
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 [d]

Famous December Gold Cup Winners

The race was run as the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup from 1963 to 1980.

Flyingbolt defied the top weight of 12st 6lbs to win this race in 1965. He is still officially rated second only to his stable companion Arkle, both trained by Tom Dreaper in Ireland.

Flyingbolt was a brilliant hurdler as well as a leading chaser, winning the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and the Irish Champion Hurdle. He also finished third in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham. He won 18 races including the Arkle Trophy, the Queen Mother Champion Chase and the Irish Grand National.

Fred Winter trained Pendil to win this race with 12st 7lbs on his back in 1973. He won the King George VI Chase at Kempton in 1972 and 1973 and was second in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. His weight-defying victory in this race was arguably the best performance of his career.

Although nothing of the class of Pendil or Flyingbolt has won in more recent years, it has remained a very competitive event.

Popular winners in the 1980’s include Observe (1982), Fifty Dollars More (1983), Beau Ranger (1984), Combs Ditch (1985) and Pegwell Bay (1988).

Poquelin (2009 and 2010) became the first horse to win the race twice. His achievement was matched by Frodon in 2016 and 2018. His second victory was notable for carrying 11st 12lbs with Bryony Frost in the saddle. He went on to win the King George VI Chase at Kempton in 2020.

Key December Gold Cup Trials

November’s Gold Cup Chase (previously known as the BetVictor Gold Cup) over the same course and distance has been the key form guide for this race in recent years. Seven of the last twelve winners ran in that race. It is worth noting that none of them had won and only three had been placed so it is a race worth re-running for hard luck stories.

Three of the last twelve winners returned to Prestbury Park for their next race in the Cheltenham Trophy Handicap Chase. Double Ross (2013) and Village Vic (2015) won both races. Targets for the winner vary at the Cheltenham Festival in March. Frodon won the Ryanair Chase while Coole Cody won the Festival Plate.

December Gold Cup Betting Trends

The last twelve favourites have all been beaten in this race.

The average winning SP during the same period is over 10-1 so that indicates just how tricky a handicap this is. Only two horses carried more than 11 stone to victory during that period; Niceonefrankie (2014) carried 11st 5lbs and Frodon (2018) carried 11st 12lbs.

French imports Unioniste (2012) and Frodon (2016) both won as four-year-olds but the most successful age range has been from six to eight.

Coole Cody (2021) won it as a ten-year-old, the oldest winner since Garnishee won at the same age in 1974.

December Gold Cup – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Paul Nicholls is the most successful trainer in the history of the race with five winners; Poquelin (2009, 2010), Unioniste (2012), Frodon (2016, 2018). Irish raiders are not that common in this event, Chatham Street Lad (2020) and Sir Oj (2005) being the only victories for the Emerald Isle since 2000.

The leading jockey is Richard Johnson who has three victories; Legal Right (1999), Monkerhostin (2004) and Village Vic (2015).

The last seventeen renewals have all been won by different jockeys.

Betting on the December Gold Cup

The December Gold Cup is one of the trickiest handicap chases of the season for punters to solve.

The clues are often hidden in the big handicap chase at the November meeting but the winner takes some finding. A thrilling spectacle and often a large field for each-way betting purposes.

Summary of the December Gold Cup

Thank you for reading our December Gold Cup guide.

It is a highly competitive handicap and has been won by many top-class stayers over the year, with many going on to have success at the Cheltenham Festival in March.