International Saturday 16th December 2023

Race 1 - JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle - 12:05

The first race of day two is a series qualifier for the Novices' Championship Hurdle. Sponsored by JCB, the Triumph Juvenile Hurdle is for horses aged three-years-old.

The Class 2 race takes place over two miles and one hundred and seventy-nine yards (2m, 179y), with eight hurdles to be negotiated during that time. Because it’s for young horses it normally has quite a small field, so your bets are likely to have short odds unless you pick a three-legged horse.

Race 2 - Novices' Chase - 12:40

Sponsored by Bearrene.com, race number two on day number two of the International Meeting is a chase for novices.

It’s open to horses aged four and over, with the Class 2 race taking place over two miles, four furlongs and one hundred and twenty-seven yards (2m, 4f, 127y).

There are seventeen fences that need to be negotiated by a field that’s usually quite small, so expect low odds but occasional surprises.

Race 3 - Handicap Chase - 13:15

The third race of the day is a handicap chase for junior jumpers. It’s open to horses aged four and up and they’ll need to run around a course that’s two miles and sixty-two yards in length (2m, 62y).

The Class 2 race features fourteen different fences and normally has between five and ten horses running in it.

It comes under different names most years as the sponsor changes.  Currently it is sponsored by Lycetts Insurance Brokers.

Race 4 - December Gold Cup Handicap Chase - 13:50

We mentioned before that most meetings that take place at Cheltenham Racecourse have their own Gold Cup and this one is sponsored by AIS. The handicapper assigns the weights that each horse has to carry as part of their handicap in this chase.

It lasts for two miles, four furlongs and one hundred and twenty-seven yards (2m, 4f, 27y) and the horses need to get over seventeen fences before the final straight. The Premier Handicap race is for horses aged four and up and is one of the key events of the day.

It dates back to 1963 when it was originally known as the Massey Ferguson Gold Cup.  It has had various sponsors over the years, including being named the Robin Cook Memorial Gold Cup in 2005 in memory of the former home secretary.  In 2011 the race was used to help Tony McCoy win the BBC Sport Personality Of The Year Award when it was named the Vote A P Gold Cup.

The race is very much linked to the November Gold Cup run at Cheltenham last month with many horses running in both in the same year.  Indeed, both races have been won in the same season by three horses, Exotic Dancer, Senor El Betrutti and Pegwell Bay.  The main difference between the two is this is run on the new course whereas the November version takes place on the Old course, but the distance and number of fences is very similar.

Only two horses have won this version of the Gold Cup twice, Poquelin (2009, 2010) and Frodon (2016, 2018). Richard Johnson is the leading jockey with three wins spanning 16 years (1999, 2004 & 2015) and Paul Nicholls leads the trainer charts with 5 wins to date.

Race 5 - Unibet International Hurdle - 14:25

The big race of the day is also the one that lends its name to the weekend, the International Hurdle. Sponsored by Unibet, the Grade 2 hurdle is for horses aged four and over. It’s run over two miles, seven furlongs and one hundred and seventy-nine yards (2m, 179y) and features eight hurdles for the horses to jump.

It was first run in 1963 when Scottish Memories was the winner, back then it was called the Cheltenham Trial Hurdle.

Three horses have won the race three times.  The first to do was Birds Nest who won in 1977, 1978 and 1980.  Next to manager it was Relkeel, the only one to do it back-to-back between 1997 and 1999. He was honoured with a race named after him, the Relkeel Hurdle, run at the New Year's Day meeting.  The other horse to manage the feat was The New One winning in 2013, 2014 and 2016.

The most successful trainer to date is Nicky Henderson with his six wins, whilst Richard Johnson’s six wins makes him the most successful jockey. If a horse completes the Unibet International / Champion Hurdle then it will be on the receiving end of a £200,000 bonus. The last horse to manage this, however, was Rooster Booster in 2002-2003.

Despite the prestige of the race, the field is normally limited to around five to ten horses.

Race 6 - Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle - 15:00

Usually coming under the official name of The Bristol Novices' Hurdle, this Grade 2 race lasts for two miles, seven furlongs and two-hundred and thirteen yards (2m, 7f, 213y).

With twelve hurdles to be negotiated, the race’s field is often fairly small with six horses running in it in 2021. It’s for novices aged for and up.

The race was first run in 1988 and upgraded to Grade 2 in 1994, when at the same time it was extended from just over two and a half miles to its present distance.  It has been sponsored by Albert Bartlett since 2007.

As it is a race for novices' no horse has won the race twice.  Carl Llewellyn and Tony McCoy have ridden the winner three times each was jockeys and Nigel Twiston-Davies leads the way in terms of trainers with five wins to date.

Race 7 - December Mares' Handicap Hurdle - 15:35

The miniature meeting comes to a close with this handicap hurdles that is open to mares aged four and up. It’s a Class 2 race that takes place over two miles, four furlongs and fifty-six yards (2m, 4f, 56y).

The horses will need to negotiate ten hurdles before racing along the home straight and there’s normally one of the largest fields at the meeting taking place in this race. Expect a few falls and the odd twist or two if the weather’s anything less than favourable.