The blockbuster National Hunt Racing fixtures over the festive period lived up to their billing, with plenty of excitement to keep followers of the sport on the edge of their seats at the likes of Kempton Park, Leopardstown, and Cheltenham.
There was an array of major races between Boxing Day and the New Year, including the King George VI Chase, the Welsh Grand National, and the Savills Chase, so let’s take a look at some of the standout horses who stole the headlines over the Christmas season.
Hewick – King George VI Chase
Starting with the,King George, arguably the most prestigious race of the festive period - it went in favour of outsider Hewick.
The £800 horse, who was priced at 12/1 for those betting on horse racing, came from last in the field to win by a length-and-a-half from Gold Cup runner-up Bravemansgame under in-form jockey Gavin Sheehan.
The closing stages of the three-mile contest were about as dramatic as they come, with Shishkin stumbling and unseating rider Nico de Boinville as he led with just one fence to spare.
That left things wide open, and it was Hewick who capitalised — keeping on well in the closing stages to beat a field of star-studded opponents.
Galopin Des Champs – Savills Chase
While Hewick was, undoubtedly, the fairytale story of the festive period, it was Galopin Des Champs’ victory in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown that will likely go down as the standout performance of the week.
The Gold Cup hero needed a big performance if he was to prove to the racing world that he is capable of defending his Cheltenham crown after back-to-back defeats, and he did so wonderfully with a commanding 23-length success over Gerri Colombe.
The Willie Mullins-trained horse is now as short as 11/10 with some operators to win successive Gold Cups, while Gerri Colombe is now out to 11/1 having once been virtually neck-and-neck with Galopin Des Champs in the market.
Il Est Francais – Kauto Star Novices’ Chase
French raider Il Est Francais came over to Kempton for the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on Boxing Day, and he upset Paul Nicholls’ Grade 1 winner Hermes Allen to land the lucrative three-mile contest by a convincing 11 lengths.
Aside from a mistake five out from the finish, the Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm-trained horse was immense throughout and left the rest of the field in a mere battle for second.
Unfortunately, the five-year-old won’t make the trip back across the Channel for the 2024 Cheltenham Festival.
However, we certainly haven’t seen the end of Il Est Francais on these shores and a crack at the 2025 Gold Cup is already being tipped.
Jeriko Du Reponet – Introductory Hurdle
It might not have been a victory in a race of any significance compared to the range of graded contests we had over Christmas, but Jeriko Du Reponet is very quickly becoming a horse of major interest.
The Nicky Henderson-trained five-year-old was in the headlines as he slashed to 12/1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle before even making his rules debut.
Following two wins on the trot, including a victory in an Introductory Hurdle at Newbury on December 30 that was an eye-catcher in the horse racing results, Jeriko Du Reponet has been slashed to the 5/1 outright favourite for the Supreme.
The win at Newbury itself wasn’t as impressive as was perhaps expected of this horse, but there’s no denying he’s a very promising prospect, and all things considered, he had to make the list.
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Constitution Hill’s convincing win in the Christmas Hurdle to maintain his unbeaten record, Marine Nationale making a winning start over fences with a victory in a Beginners Chase at Leopardstown and Irish Point’s success in the Grade 1 Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle were just some of the other notable events on the shortlist.
