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2026 December Gold Cup Preview
Established in 1963, the December Gold Cup was originally called the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup. It is run during the Christmas Meeting at the Cheltenham Racecourse.
The race is a Premier Handicap in which runners have to jump seventeen fences, it is open to runners aged 4yo+ and is run over two miles and four & half furlongs around this left-handed track.
December Gold Cup Information:
- December Gold Cup Past Winners
- December Gold Cup Trainer Statistics
- December Gold Cup Jockey Statistics
To see which runners the OLBG racing tipsters are tipping throughout the card that includes this race, head over to the Cheltenham tips on the day of the race. Do they agree with the runners on the trend shortlist, or are they predicting other runners? You may also be interested in other preview blogs that we have packed full of information. Head down to the Other Principal Races at Cheltenham Racecourse section for links to these.
Best Horse Racing Betting Sites 2025
How competitive is the December Gold Cup market? When looking at the over-rounds for the last 20 renewals, the most competitive market was in 2014 when the race had an over-round of 114%. The race in 2009 was a race that was most in the bookie's favour with an over-round of 128%, whilst on average over the last 20 renewals of the December Gold Cup, the over-round has been 121%, which means the bookie expects to pay out ÂŁ100 for every ÂŁ121 which is bet.
Below you will find the 2026 December Gold Cup Trends. See which patterns have occurred over the recent renewals that you may be able to use for the next renewal. We also have a section that looks at the December Gold Cup Trend Analysis.
These are the top three quickest-run December Gold Cup races over the last 20 renewals:
- Quantitativeeasing (5:09.77) in 2011
- Poquelin (5:10.26) in 2010
- Coole Cody (5:10.46) in 2021
Looking at the future form, is the winner worth following next time out? Over the past 20 renewals, if you had followed the winner of the December Gold Cup next time out, then you would have backed a total of 6 winners. Backing all 19 runners who have been out since their win at SP next time out would have returned an LSP of +11.93. Remember to use the racing predictions along with the information on this page to find a bet on the 2026 December Gold Cup.
When looking over the past 20 renewals, a time of 5:09.77 was set by Quantitativeeasing in 2011, trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Geraghty, which is the quickest time over that period. The slowest winning time was set in 2012 when Unioniste won in a time of 5:47.09 for trainer Paul Nicholls, who booked Harry Derham in the saddle.
December Gold Cup Past Winners
Here are the December Gold Cup past winners for the last 10 renewals. Each row details the year of the race, the horse which won, along with the age & weight of the horse. The horse's trainer and the jockey at the time of winning the December Gold Cup are also displayed, along with the starting price at which the horse was sent off.
Race Notes: The race was abandoned in 2001 because of frost and again in 2008 due to waterlogging. The 2003 renewal was run on the Old Course at Cheltenham instead of the New Course. Abandoned in 2022 due to frozen ground.
| Year | Horse | Info |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 5:12.24 | Glengouly (FR) 9yo 10-2 33/1 | Sean Bowen Faye Bramley (GB) |
| 2024 5:13.93 | Gemirande (FR) 8yo 10-2 11/2 | Charlie Deutsch Venetia Williams (GB) |
| 2023 5:11.19 | Fugitif (FR) 8yo 11-3 13/2 | Gavin Sheehan Richard Hobson (GB) |
| 2021 5:10.46 | Coole Cody (IRE) 10yo 10-12 12/1 | Adam Wedge Evan Williams (GB) |
| 2020 5:21.68 | Chatham Street Lad (IRE) 8yo 10-10 16/1 | Darragh O'Keeffe Michael Winters (IRE) |
| 2019 5:34.30 | Warthog (FR) 7yo 10-3 7/1 | David Noonan David Pipe (GB) |
| 2018 5:11.70 | Frodon (FR) 6yo 11-12 7/1 | Bryony Frost Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2017 5:16.90 | Guitar Pete (IRE) 7yo 10-2 9/1 | Ryan Day (3lbs) Nicky Richards (GB) |
| 2016 5:18.00 | Frodon (FR) 4yo 10-10 14/1 | Sam Twiston-Davies Paul Nicholls (GB) |
| 2015 5:20.10 | Village Vic (IRE) 8yo 10-0 8/1 | Richard Johnson Philip Hobbs (GB) |
Where have the winning runners come from?
Here are the countries where the winning trainers of the December Gold Cup have been based:
- GB: 18 winners with an additional 45 placings from 249 runners
- IRE: 2 winners with an additional 1 placing from 20 runners
- FR: 0 winners with an additional 1 placing from 4 runners
2025 December Gold Cup Replay
December Gold Cup Trainer Statistics
The leading trainer in the December Gold Cup over the last 20 renewals is Paul Nicholls, who has won the race five times, with those five winners coming from Poquelin (2009 & 2010), Unioniste (2012) and Frodon (2016 & 2018). Other trainers who have recorded multiple wins in the December Gold Cup are David Pipe (2 wins), Venetia Williams (2 wins) and Philip Hobbs (2 wins). There is one trainer who has not had the best of times in the December Gold Cup; Alan King has sent a total of 12 runners to the race without recording any wins.
Here are some of the top December Gold Cup trainer statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Trainer | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Nicholls | 39-5-12 | +14.00 | +8.12 |
| David Pipe | 19-2-4 | +12.00 | +6.07 |
| Venetia Williams | 14-2-6 | +9.50 | +7.99 |
| Philip Hobbs | 14-2-7 | +0.00 | +2.81 |
| Nigel Twiston-Davies | 22-1-5 | -14.00 | -9.12 |
| Nicky Henderson | 17-1-1 | -10.00 | -12.25 |
| Jonjo O'Neill | 9-1-2 | +0.00 | -1.37 |
| Evan Williams | 7-1-3 | +6.00 | +3.96 |
| Nicky Richards | 5-1-4 | +5.00 | +6.03 |
| Noel Meade | 2-1-1 | +15.00 | +9.00 |
December Gold Cup Jockey Statistics
The leading jockey in the December Gold Cup over the last 20 renewals is Sam Twiston-Davies, who has won the race two times, with those two winners coming from Double Ross (2013) and Frodon (2016).
Here are some of the top December Gold Cup jockey statistics over the last 20 renewals (R = Runners, W = Winners, P = Places including winners, Win LSP is based on 1pt Win and EW LSP is based on 0.5pt Win & 0.5pt Place):
| Jockey | R-W-P | Win | EW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Twiston-Davies | 12-2-2 | +11.00 | +3.13 |
| Charlie Deutsch | 8-1-4 | -1.50 | +1.24 |
| Sean Bowen | 6-1-2 | +28.00 | +15.90 |
| Adam Wedge | 5-1-2 | +8.00 | +4.90 |
| Gavin Sheehan | 5-1-1 | +2.50 | +0.06 |
| Bryony Frost | 3-1-2 | +5.00 | +3.94 |
| Ryan Day | 2-1-2 | +8.00 | +5.71 |
| Darragh O'Keeffe | 1-1-1 | +16.00 | +10.00 |
| David Noonan | 1-1-1 | +7.00 | +4.38 |
| Harry Skelton | 9-0-1 | -9.00 | -8.23 |
2026 December Gold Cup Trends
Favourites finishing positions (oldest to latest): F, PU, 3, PU, 1, 12, PU, 2, 3, (2, PU), 6, (3, 8), 2, 5, 4, 9, 4, PU, 2, 3
The percentage shown is the percentage of the total number of runners who fell under that factor. High percentages are less appealing than lower ones, as you would expect them to do well.
- 20 / 20 (74%) - Off a break of 20 - 188 days
- 20 / 20 (82%) - Within the first 11 of the market
- 20 / 20 (84%) - Achieved an RPR of 124+ (LTO)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran in 1 - 6 races (Season)
- 20 / 20 (88%) - Ran in 3 - 11 races (1 Year)
- 20 / 20 (89%) - In a field of 3 - 17 (Last Win)
- 19 / 20 (88%) - Carried no more than 162lbs
- 19 / 20 (88%) - No bigger than 16/1 (Career Win)
- 19 / 20 (88%) - Held an OR of 128+ (Season)
- 18 / 20 (66%) - No bigger than 16/1
- 18 / 20 (73%) - Placed within last 2 starts
- 18 / 20 (78%) - No older than a 8yo
- 18 / 20 (82%) - No more than +3yrs (Vs Min Age)
- 18 / 20 (83%) - No bigger than 16/1 (LTO)
- 17 / 20 (74%) - Won within last 5 starts
Remember to use the trends listed above, along with the Cheltenham racing predictions, to see if you can find the winner of the December Gold Cup. Did you know that we have an OLBG Betting School section on OLBG? It is a place to help you improve your betting experience with articles covering numerous topics.
Are you already a member? If not, then why not? With over ÂŁ6,000 given away each month in the tipster competition, why not get involved? Remember, it is completely FREE! So, head over to the registration page to sign up today! If you are already a member, then share your thoughts on the December Gold Cup by adding a tip on the race here.
101 Ways to find Winners in Horse Racing
December Gold Cup Trend Analysis
â The trend factor, which has produced 10+ winners and shows the best LSP, an LSP of +65.00, is when runners ran in a race restricted to 4yo+ when last winning.
â The worst performing factor that has failed to produce a single winner is when runners had 3 career places on the going, when backing these, the trend shows a record of 0-47.
The course which has produced the most winners of the December Gold Cup is Cheltenham; there have been a total of 12 winners of this race who ran at Cheltenham last time out. The next best course, which has produced the second most winners, is Ascot; there have been a total of 3 winners of this race who ran at Ascot last time out.
The race is open to both sexes, with male runners having produced a total of 20 winners from a total of 269 runners, while female runners have produced 0 winners from a total of 4 runners.
Looking over the past renewals, these are the stallions whose offspring have produced multiple winners of the December Gold Cup:
- Lahint (2 Wins)
- Nickname (2 Wins)
These are the stallions whose offspring have not produced a winner of the December Gold Cup despite multiple attempts:
- Saint Des Saints (0 Wins from 10 runners)
- Kayf Tara (0 Wins from 9 runners)
- Dr Massini (0 Wins from 7 runners)
- Kapgarde (0 Wins from 6 runners)
- Oscar (0 Wins from 6 runners)
Looking at the winning odds over the last 20 renewals, the biggest-priced winner was Glengouly in 2025, winning for Faye Bramley at odds of 33/1 under the guidance of Sean Bowen. Looking at the runners at the head of the market over the last 20 renewals, there have been 1 winning favourites in the race. Remember to bookmark the best racing tipsters page so you can get easy access to the best OLBG racing tipsters.
Route to the December Gold Cup
Many trainers target races as preparation for the December Gold Cup. These are the races which the recent winners ran in before coming here:
| Info | Last Race |
|---|---|
| 2025 - Glengouly Cheltenham - 4th of 11 (4/1) | Hine Solicitors Talking Sense Handicap Chase |
| 2024 - Gemirande Ascot - 1st of 7 (10/3) | CopyBet Handicap Chase |
| 2023 - Fugitif Cheltenham - 4th of 14 (12/1) | Paddy Power Gold Cup |
| 2021 - Coole Cody Cheltenham - F of 19 (14/1) | Paddy Power Gold Cup |
| 2020 - Chatham Street Lad Cork - 1st of 11 (313/100) | Mallow Handicap Chase |
| 2019 - Warthog Cheltenham - 3rd of 17 (33/1) | Paddy Power Gold Cup |
| 2018 - Frodon Cheltenham - 2nd of 18 (16/1) | Paddy Power Gold Cup |
| 2017 - Guitar Pete Cheltenham - 9th of 17 (11/1) | Paddy Power Gold Cup |
| 2016 - Frodon Cheltenham - 10th of 17 (6/1) | Paddy Power Gold Cup |
| 2015 - Village Vic Musselburgh - 1st of 8 (13/8) | Racing UK Profits Returned To Racing Handicap Chase |
Article Contributor Information
We are fortunate to have an excellent team of specialists and experts at OLBG. Contributing to the creation and maintenance of this December Gold Cup Preview are Andy and Darren. They both work on the Horse racing tips team, looking after the tipsters and managing the tips settlement, whilst also creating and managing all of the horse racing event previews for National Hunt Racing.
Darren Brett
Expert Guide
Andy Powell
Expert Guide
