CHELTENHAM hosts the Christmas Meeting this weekend with two days of top action at the famous jumps course.
The December Gold Cup is the main race of the fixture but there’s plenty more to enjoy either side of it.
It kicks off with seven races on Friday and four Class 2s to enjoy, starting with a Novices’ Chase.
There’s a race for the veterans too – including Sam Brown and Lord du Mesnil – before the Cross Country race later in the afternoon.
Minella Road and Fury Road line up in this one, as does Galvin who’ll be looking to bounce back from last month’s run here when a disappointing eighth.
Onto Saturday and it kicks off with a JCB Triumph Hurdle trial.
But it’s the December Gold Cup that heads the bill at 1.50 with Fakir d’Oudairies the top-rated entry at the time of writing.
Thunder Rock, Monmiral and So Scottish are likely to be among the favourites once final declarations are confirmed later in the week.
How to play
And we can’t not mention the quality field as part of The Favourite From The Sun Now Daily Handicap Steeple Chase at 2.35, with Protektorat and Threeunderthrufive among the big names at entry stage.
If you’re looking for even more excitement ahead of the weekend action, then you’re in luck!
Our partners Tote have launched a fantasy game you can play to add to the drama…
It’s essentially Fantasy Football but for horses – with the chance to earn the bragging rights over your mates and win a bit of cash too!
Your assigned budget isn’t going to get you too far. You can’t pick ALL the best horses, just as you wouldn’t be able to load your XI with just Arsenal and Manchester City players.
And this budget is much the same, you must be clever with it and make sure you get the best value.
Essentially, a couple of cheap, solid options will be your friend.
But with a bit of good fortune (and a little bit of study time) there’s some gems in the Saturday racing that won’t cost you much, and will set you apart from the rest.
New to Tote? If so, you are eligible to claim their welcome offer, where you can bag £30 in free bets.
Simply visit the Tote website HERE**, register a new account and stake a tenner on horse racing. Once that’s settled — win or lose — your account will be credited with £30 free bets.
A responsible gambler is someone who:
Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.
*Opt-in required each qualifying week. Weekly free fantasy bet to the value of £1 in Tote Credit. Redeemable against the £1 Fantasy Pool each Saturday only. Tote Credit cannot be withdrawn, exchanged, or substituted and expires each Saturday at midnight. One per customer per qualifying week. UK & ROI customers only.18+. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleaware.org Full T&Cs apply.
**New customers online only. £/€10 min stake (if EW then min £/€10 Win + £/€10 Place). Receive £/€30 Tote Credit within 48 hours of qualifying bet settlement. 7 day expiry. Qualifying bet is the first racing pool bet added to the bet-slip. 18+. Full T&Cs apply. BeGambleaware.org. Full T&Cs apply.
