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Equinties - Christmas awards
BGP Capital
December 30, 2025
Gm Equinauts
Like we do with after the big festivals, we want to give awards to the best and the worst of it and today we discuss the horses, trainers, and jockeys that had a great Christmas period, and those who might now be on Santa’s naughty list.
From Boxing Day through to Challow Day, here is our Christmas round-up.
Let’s dive in!
CHRISTMAS AWARDS!
FAVOURITE NOVICE HURDLE PERFORMANCES: EL CAIROS & NO DRAMA THIS END
We mulled this over a fair bit as we were blown away with our bet on MOSSY FEN ROAD but we’re going to stick with our choices. We may be starting out obvious, but it’s for good reason, as both EL CAIROS and NO DRAMA THIS END deserve their place in this section of the newsletter.
The former was electric. Having seen a good number of ex-David Maxwell-owned horses fall out the back of the TV in new silks over the last couple of months, it was easy to think that the same could have happened to EL CAIROS. Furthermore, the presence of DOCTOR DU MESNIL and a race-fit MURAT made it a good race to take on.
Up until the final hurdle fall, he looked very good, and the manner of his defeat was rather bizarre as well. The facts are that he would have bolted up in a good race, and even with his fall, MURAT’s maiden hurdle was three seconds quicker than the one of BALLYFAD 30 minutes previously, and BALLYFAD carried 5lbs fewer. If they beat the opening maiden hurdle, how much faster would EL CAIROS’ time had been if he stood up?
After MYDADDYPADDY’s blowout in the Formby, he is the rightful Supreme favourite, and he could be very smart!
And then, there’s NO DRAMA THIS END who oozed class in the Challow yesterday. He picked up a few negative comments in the immediate aftermath, and while he didn’t bolt up by 10, the race didn’t run to suit him.
He had to make his own way through the race, and he almost had to win it twice. Once when KALKBRENNER came to challenge, and then again when KLIMT MADRIK and TIPTOPTIM took a pop. It was all a bit easy for him, and they were no mugs in behind.
Is he too classy for the Bartlett? Probably, and that’s why it’s a bit interesting that Paul Nicholls has mentioned the Bartlett so many times. However, after yesterday, Nicholls said that the Turners is more likely because he’s shown he can do it on good ground over 2m4f, and we don’t blame him. Nicholls has a proper one on his hands here.
FAVOURITE NOVICE CHASER PERFORMANCE: ROMEO COOLIO
Yes, FINAL DEMAND and KITZBUHEL were very good in their respective races, and either one of them could win the Browns at Cheltenham in March, but ROMEO COOLIO had no right to win on Boxing Day… and he still did.
He’s a bit like JANGO BAIE last year – he’s not a two-mile novice chaser, and yet his class is getting him to win races like the Grade 1 Racing Post Novice Chase.
The way he battled back to get past IRISH PATHER was serious work. He was dead and buried turning for home, and he still won. Bravo. The win was so impressive that it got connections thinking of a Ryanair with him despite him being a novice. That may be a stretch too far, but what else do you do with him?
If you want to find out if he stays the Browns trip, you could go to the DRF, but then he suddenly turns into a horse who’s had four runs before Cheltenham, which is plenty.
Do you then just go straight to the Browns and take a chance? That seems a bit short sighted. So, why not do the DRF and target the absolute stones out of Aintree for the Manifesto Novices’ Chase? That would make the most sense, surely? The Ryanair is obviously an option, and one that connections are thinking of, but we’d be pretty surprised if he ended up there.
Either way, he was very good, and while FINAL DEMAND was more pleasing on the eye in his jumping, ROMEO COOLIO potentially showed a touch more in the engine room. We would like to see FINAL DEMAND get into a proper ding-dong battle over fences – that would be fun just to see how down and dirty he would get, because he’s had an easy time of things so far over fences. For this reason, ROMEO COOLIO gets the nod. We think he is quite a useful horse and can only get better when stepping up in trip.
FAVOURITE OPEN PERFORMANCE: THISTLE ASK & TEAHUPOO
The Champion Hurdle performances over the Christmas period from SIR GINO, LOSSIEMOUTH, BRIGHTERDAYSAHEAD, and ANZADAM are going to be saved for tomorrow, so as for anything else, we’re going to mention two horses who are completely different.
One is a rapidly-improving two-mile chaser who could genuinely end up winning a Grade 1 this season, and the other is a proven Grade 1 horse who continually gets underestimated.
Starting with THISTLE ASK, is it mental to think that he will end up in the Champion Chase come March? No. That doesn’t mean he’ll win it, but so far this season, he’s made a Haldon Gold Cup that included JPR ONE and KALIF DU BERLAIS look like a Class 4 chase at Doncaster, and he never came out of second gear at Kempton on the 27th.
After this week, Dan Skelton said: "He's going to go up against different types of horses now, but we'll welcome all-comers and we'll give it our best shot. It's very tempting to have a go at a Champion Chase, but if you want all ticks in your boxes, then he's got to go right-handed.
“If he wins a Clarence House he’d have to go for it, but if he didn’t and still ran well, then you’d have to keep him super fresh for the Celebration Chase.”
Because of L’EAU DU SUD, they may just wait for the Celebration Chase with him, and that would be understandable. Either way, it looks like the Clarence House Chase will be next, and his inclusion will be so interesting depending on who Willie Mullins sends to the race. He has to be a 160 horse now, and that will take an on-song IL ETAIT TEMPS/JONBON to beat him.
As for TEAHUPOO, it’s the classic example of seeing a really good horse win a race and then thinking: “Why did I take him on?”
It was a great performance, and Jack Kennedy is probably right in thinking that it was one of his best. He was pretty ruthless, and while BOB OLINGER was staying on, he was never troubling. That Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown has reignited the fire in the Stayers’ Hurdle division as it’s now very interesting to see if the form is upheld/reversed come March. Either way, TEAHUPOO is now a seven-time Grade 1 winner, he’s a bit of a legend, and he’s going to be nine in the new year, which isn’t too bad!
TRAINERS OF CHRISTMAS: GORDON ELLIOTT & PAUL NICHOLLS
Two larger gentlemen are probably sleeping quite well at the moment, and it’s for obvious reasons. Gordon Elliott has had 18 winners since Boxing Day, and that streak includes three Grade 1s, one Grade 2, one Grade 3, and the Paddy Power Chase. Willie Mullins, where are you?
Does he have a chance of downing Mullins in the championship? As Gordo said: “Absolutely no chance.” Mullins will start to ramp up his team at the DRF, he’ll dance through, and then Punchestown will just be a benefit for him. Despite this, Christmas was fantastic for Gordo.
As for in Britain, Paul Nicholls has had a pretty useful time despite not having a runner in the King George, Formby, Wayward Lad, or Welsh Grand National. He had a winner with Olive at Kempton, NO DRAMA THIS END enhanced his Cheltenham claims yesterday, and, in a very gracious way, he told Gordon & Sue Hall where to go after MINELLA YOGA beat ACT OF INNOCENCE at Newbury.
The yard is now running at a 30% strike rate, and having been a bit under a cloud to start the season off, it would be good if he can bang in a few more winners over the next month. Who doesn’t like seeing PFN puff his big chest out when he’s feeling all giddy, ay?
RIDE OF CHRISTMAS: SAM EWING
Which ride could be selected for this prize? His AFFORDALE FURY ride was very good, but there was something about his spin in the Paddy Power Chase onboard FAVORI DE CHAMPDOU that caught our attention. Considering he was on a horse who was 66/1 and was potentially gearing up for a cross country campaign, he took the race up at the fourth and dictated play nicely. It looked for all the world as if horses were queuing up in behind at the third-last, but he go a breather in, and then wound it back up again after the second-last.
It was a smooth piece of riding, and he was strong in the finish as well. It was a Christmas to remember for Ewing, and this was our favourite.
DISAPPOINTMENTS
Christmas wasn’t all rosy, as we all know. Here were three horses that disappointed us.
It almost feels harsh considering what we thought of him before Boxing Day, but it’s hard to fancy MYDADDYPADDY for the Supreme now. Maybe he could be more of a Turners horse, but he looked a bit slow at Aintree, and some horses looked much better this Christmas.
WENDIGO may be better going left-handed, but it will be a brave move to back him in a competitive Grade 1 this season. He looks slow, and he could just lack tactical speed against a few. He’d be a typical National Hunt Chase type if it wasn’t a handicap anymore.
There seemed to be very little excuses for LE DIVIN ENFANT. Maybe they could drop him in over 2m4f next time, but he was soundly put away and would need to bounce back to be the potential Grade 1 horse that some thought he could be.
For our eye-catches and Champion Hurdle chat, tune in to tomorrow’s newsletter.
RISK ON
12.50 INNAMORATO
We can’t bet the night before and 5/2 was more appealing but we like the market move for this lad and will play at 6/4 on the basis he has the best ped and should just be the best horse in this race. We don’t tend to bet horses fresh from France as they might need to acclimatise but Nicholls has won this race before with a new recruit from across the channel. Full stake single.
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