December Novices’ Chase

The December Novices’ Chase is a Grade 2 race over three miles at Doncaster in December.

It is regarded as a trial for the staying novice events at the Cheltenham Festival in March.

Notable past winners include Nick The Brief (1988), Sparkling Flame (1990), Burton Port (2009) and Sam Spinner (2019).

Find out more about the December Novices Chase:

Race Overview – December Novices Chase

Horses must be four years old or older to compete in the Grade 2 December Novices’ Chase steeplechase.

There are 18 obstacles to jump during the race, which is raced at Doncaster over a distance of around 3 miles (2 miles 7 furlongs and 214 yards or 4,828 metres). The novice chasers’ race takes place in December each year.

Famous December Novices’ Chase Winners

The first two winners of this race both progressed to be high-quality chasers. 1988 winner Nick The Brief finished runner-up in the Sun Alliance Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham. He then won the Irish Gold Cup in 1990 and 1991 for Trainer John Upson.

1989 winner Sparkling Flame fell in the Sun Alliance but made amends by winning the big novice event at Aintree. He missed most of 1991 through injury and was never able to fulfil his early potential. Sparkling Flame was trained by Nicky Henderson who also won this event with Burton Port (2009).

He finished second in the Sun Alliance at Cheltenham and won at the Aintree Grand National meeting. He subsequently finished second to Long Run in the 2012 Denman Chase and fourth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup behind Synchronised.

2019 winner Sam Spinner was a slightly enigmatic performer. He often made the running and those tactics paid off handsomely to win the Grade 1 Long Walk Hurdle in 2017. He started favourite for the Stayers’ Hurdle that season but faded to finish fifth behind Penhill.

Key December Novices’ Chase Trials

Six of the last ten winners of the December Novices’ Chase had won on their last start.

All but two of them had raced within the previous five weeks. Although it is not possible to identify any particular trials, it is worth noting that all ten winners had at least two previous outings in the current season.

Only one of the last ten winners has won on its next outing. That was 2021 winner Threeunderthrufive who won the Hampton Novices’ Chase at Warwick next time. Three winners ran in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton but all were beaten.

December Novices’ Chase Betting Trends

The betting market has been an excellent guide to this race in recent years.

The last ten winners have all been in the first three in the betting.

Five of those started favourite; Court In Motion (2012), Black Thunder (2013), Virak (2014), Rocky’s Treasure (2018) and Threeunderthrufive (2021).

December Novices’ Chase – Top Trainers and Jockeys

Paul Nicholls is the leading Trainer in the history of the race with four winners, all of which have come since 2013. He won it for the first time with Black Thunder and followed up with Virak in 2014, both ridden by Nick Scholfield. He added a third success with Present Man (2016) and a record fourth victory with Threeunderthrufive (2021).

Nicky Henderson has won it on three occasions; Sparkling Flame (1990), Fiddling The Facts (1997) and Burton Port (2009).

Four jockeys have two victories in the December Novices’ Chase; Norman Williamson, Andrew Thornton, Leighton Aspell and Nick Scholfield.

December Novice Chase Facts

• The December Novices Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase held annually at Cheltenham Racecourse in England.
• The race is open to horses aged five years or older and is run over a distance of 3 miles and 1 furlong.
• The race was first run in 2005 and is currently sponsored by the Jockey Club.
• The race is run on the New Course at Cheltenham and features 16 fences.
• The race is worth £60,000 in prize money and is the most valuable novice chase of the season.
• The race is often seen as a trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, with the winner of the December Novices Chase often going on to compete in the Gold Cup the following year.

Summary of December Novices Hurdle

Thank you for reading our December Novices’ Chase guide.

A top novice hurdle, we have looked at betting, tips, history and more so you can make an informed decision if placing a bet or simply just enjoying watching the race.

You can check out the Doncaster horse racing tips page for our tips on this race or take a look at more horse racing in December.

Related December Articles