2025 Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Friday Tips – DS
2025 Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Friday
Grozni ensured we went home with a winner last weekend. Despite drifting from 16s to 22s and jumping badly right, he won quite easily in the end to land our NAP. We are back at jumps HQ this weekend for two days of action, Dave Stevos 2025 Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Friday preview is below.
1.15 – Catesby Estates Handicap Hurdle (Class 3)
Cheltenham seems to have avoided the worst of Storm Bram earlier this week but the ground is still going to be on the soft side. Not many of the outsiders here will enjoy the easy conditions but one who certainly will is the Harry Derham trained Brentford Hope.
He’s been chasing this season and he wasn’t disgraced in a Grade 2 novice here earlier this month when fourth of six. He wasn’t quite as good at Exeter last week and I think it’s a wise move to switch back to hurdling.
On his last start over timber on soft ground Brentford Hope got to within 3l of Constitution Hill over this C&D in the Grade 2 International Hurdle. After a couple of moderate runs at Wincanton and Punchestown he returns to this sphere somehow off a mark of 137 (3lb below his last win) and his rider takes off another 7lb.
She admittedy lacks experience but she has at least ridden one winner over jumps and she finished fourth on her sole previous ride at this venue. Hopefully she can do the same (or even better) on Brentford Hope.
2025 Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Friday Tip: Brentford Hope e/w @ 16/1 (4 places) nb
2.25 – Veterans’ Series Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Nothing leapt off the page in the 1.50 so we move onto this veterans’ race. Off a mark of 138, I’m going to take a chance on Seddon here. The 2023 Festival Plate winner has been out of form since running well at the New Year’s Day meeting here last January and it may be the case that he’s simply not as good as he was. However, I don’t think connections would be persisting unless they thought he had one more big day in him so he must still be showing enthusiasm at home.
His famous festival win came off a mark of 143 so he is effectively 8lb lower here with his rider taking off a handy 3lb. He’s effectively 11lb lower than when a 7.5l fifth in this race last year.
In recent starts he’s been highly tried, even taking in the Cesarewitch at Newmarket. Whatever happens today, he’s been a great horse for his owners, but I suspect there could be one last hurrah from Seddon. Hopefully, now that his sights have been lowered, it’s today. At odds of 16/1, a small e/w interest is advised.
2025 Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Friday Tip: Seddon e/w @ 16/1
3.00 – Cross Country Handicap Chase (Class 2)
Usually, 99 times out of 100 I would leave this race well alone. I’ll probably be wishing I did exactly that at 3.15 on Friday but at the prices and with his horses starting to come back into form, I can’t resist having a small interest on Peaches And Cream for Gavin Cromwell with Sam Twiston-Davies in the plate.
Back in 2021 we backed this horse at 50s for the Troytown at Navan and he just about got the place money in fourth. He’s a horse that needs a marathon trip and good ground and when he gets his conditions, he can be pretty useful.
The ground will be quick on the X-Country course on Friday and Peaches And Cream runs off the same mark as he ran off when a respectable fifth in the Ulster National at Downpatrick (28.5f, good) back in March.
Peaches And Cream seemed to enjoy jumping around the banks course at Punchestown when sixth in the La Touche Cup in May and while he bombed out in the Risk Of Thunder back there in November, the ground was far too testing for him and he lacked a recent run. These conditions are far more suitable and he should be sharper now, hopefully he can stay on late for place money at the rewarding odds of 40/1.
2025 Cheltenham Christmas Meeting Friday Tip: Peaches And Cream e/w @ 40/1 (4 places)
3.35 – Citipost Handicap Hurdle (Class 2)
We nearly landed a lovely touch with Titan Discovery back in February 2024 at Sandown but he bumped into an even better handicapped rival in Jingko Blue who was running off 124 (now rated 151 over fences).
Robbie Llewellyn’s charge has won twice since then, over 2m4f at Sandown on soft off 115 and he landed a big pot over 3m at Windsor in January off 123, again on soft ground. He may have needed the run when down the field on his seasonal return at Haydock last month and the assessor has given him 1lb back for that tame effort.
Titan Discovery has form at this track, beaten just 2l over 2m4f on good ground in April 2024. His yard is flying and I’m sure Llewellyn would love to get a winner at this famous venue. I think there could still be a fair amount of wriggle room for this horse off his current mark and at 12/1, he is the each way selection.
