Big-race bonanza: Get set for the 11 Grade Ones of Christmas

Get ready for a feast of Grade One action on Racing TV across Britain and Ireland during the Festive period! With 11 Grade Ones to look forward to, racing fans are in for a treat, and the support races at Kempton, Leopardstown, Limerick and Aintree look pretty good, too! 

Below are the 11 Grade Ones you cannot miss, as well a few big-race verdicts, and a couple of tips for the support races. 

Merry Christmas, and best of luck with any bets you place over the Festive period (a reminder to gamble responsibly, too). 

Best odds: 11-4. 

I strongly fancied Cruz Control for the Becher Chase this month but the race was abandoned, and the reasoning for backing him here remains the same. 

Tom Lacey’s progressive seven-year-old enjoyed a spin over hurdles on his return to action in October and should be primed to run a big race now plus he needs a higher rating to get into the Grand National, which is his main aim this season. 

The form of his victory at Aintree in April is strong and I expect him to prove too good for his rivals in the William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase. He won at this track over hurdles last year and the ground will be fine, which are further positives. 

Best odds: 7-2. 

Nicky Henderson was quite vocal about Doddiethegreat’s chances ahead of the Coral Cup last season, and it was easy to see why after the eight-year-old ran an eye-catching race in a strong renewal of the Betfair Hurdle (off a rating of 132) where he stayed on strongly to finish fourth. 

Things didn’t go to plan at the Cheltenham Festival, but that run can easily be excused given the form of the Seven Barrows team that week, and I’m willing to forgive his below-par effort at Ayr the following month as it was too bad to be true. 

He didn’t take to fences on his return at this track in November, so that’s another run that can be forgiven, but he doesn’t have any excuses here on his return to hurdling, and looks nicely treated off a rating of 129. 

He bolted up over this course and distance (in 2021) prior to his lengthy absence and if he repeats his Betfair Hurdle effort, he should go very close here. I’d rate him as the nap of the day on Boxing Day, especially as he’s the choice of Nico de Boinville who presumably had the pick of the Henderson trio. 

The Twiston-Davies team have made it no secret how much they think of Potters Charm, and their belief has been backed up by two impressive performances at Cheltenham this season. His latest win, when eased down to win a Grade Two event, was particularly impressive, and he heads the betting here at a general 9-4. He faces strong opposition, though, with recent Cheltenham winner Country Mile among the runners, along with unbeaten hurdler Roadlesstravelled, and the progressive Celtic Dino. This will probably be the strongest novice race run in Britain ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, and while he does face some hugely exciting prospects, Potters Charm looks high class, and is the one to beat based on his latest effort.

Albert Bartlett runner-up The Jukebox Man created a huge impression when landing the John Francome Novices’ Chase on his chasing debut at Newbury in November and ought to be capable of winning a Grade One over fences this season. Ben Pauling’s charge will bid to follow in the footsteps of some brilliant winners of this race, including Il Est Francais, Bravemansgame and Coneygree. The progressive Hyland has won his past two starts over fences, but may not have the class that The Jukebox Man possesses, and Masaccio was probably flattered by the diminishing margin he was beaten when second at Newbury (The Jukebox Man had the race won a long way from home). Pauling also said his six-year-old, who he holds in extremely high regard, would "improve a ton" for his latest outing, and he should prove tough to beat.

What a clash this is going to be! Constitution Hill will make his belated return to action and face Lossiemouth, the general 7-4 favourite for the Unibet Champion Hurdle. Will Constitution Hill be at his best after a year off the track, and well-documented issues? He was a sensational winner of this race 12 months ago but will face a mare who oozed class in the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle last time out, and this could be the toughest challenge Constitution Hill has faced so far. However, if Nicky Henderson's superstar is near his best, then he's surely going to prove difficult to beat (he's 15lb clear of Lossiemouth, who receives the 7lb mares' allowance, on official ratings) as he'd looked potentially one of the greatest hurdlers of all time prior to his lengthy absence. He does have plenty of question marks to answer, though, and it will be fascinating to see how he fares. 

This race is now known as the Racing Post Long Distance Novice Chase and is the showpiece on day one of the four-day Leopardstown Christmas Festival, live on Racing TV. Four runners have been declared, including Drinmore winner Croke Park, Martin Pipe winner Better Days Ahead, who defeated Slade Steel on his chasing debut, andAlbert Bartlett winner Stellar Story. The sky is the limit over fences this season for the trio, who are all trained by Gordon Elliott and, despite the lack of runners, this should be an informative contest. Buddy One is the other contender, although he will need to improve to trouble the Elliott trio on what we've seen from him over fences so far.

The race of the Festive period? This is shaping up to be a brilliant renewal of the Kempton showpiece, with Spillane’s Tower (who has been supplemented), Corbetts Cross, Grey Dawning, Il Est Francais, Banbridge and L’Homme Presse all among the contenders. Spillane's Tower has the strongest piece of recent form next to his name following his brilliant effort in the John Durkan. His weakness in the market beforehand hinted that he'd need the run, so further improvement can be expected now, especially as he should have more to offer this season. He deserves to be favourite, despite the fact his handler, James Mangan, has warned the track and ground may not be completely ideal for him. Il Est Francais was a devastating winner of the Kauto Star 12 months ago where he produced some eye-catching RaceiQ data. A repeat of that performance will see him in the mix, but he pulled up (he reportedly bled) on his latest start and a bounce back is required now. You can also read Andy Stephens’ guide on all the contenders here, and we're both in agreement on who the likely winner is. We will leave you to decide if that's a good thing or not! 

Arkle winner Gaelic Warrior returns to action here and is the red-hot favourite to strike in a race Willie Mullins has won with Chacun Pour Soi and Douvan in the past. Champion Chase winner Captain Guinness is among his rivals, along with Marine Nationale, Found A Fifty and last year’s winner Dinoblue. It’s set to be an epic hour for Jump racing fans, with Sir Gino and Ballyburn clashing in the Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices' Chase (1.55pm), also live on Racing TV!

No Salvator Mundi, but a fascinating race nonetheless, with a whole host of potential stars among the line-up. This race has kickstarted the careers of Hurricane Fly, Sizing John and Jezki, and Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott both hold a strong hand. A race not to be missed! 

A race that will feature some popular names, including 2022 winner Home By The Lee and Bob Olinger. The pair clashed in the Lismullen Hurdle when last seen, with Home By The Lee prevailing, which made it 3-1 in favour of Joseph O’Brien’s charge. The pair will be clashing for the fifth time should they both line-up, and there’s unlikely to be much between them again. 

Faugheen, Sir Des Champs and Gerri Colombe are all previous winners of this race, and Gaelic Warrior won an eventful renewal last year, with Patrick and Danny Mullins exchanging words after the line! Ballyburn heads to Kempton 24 hours earlier instead, but Willie Mullins could still be mob-handed as Impaire Et Passe, Mirazur West and Sa Majeste are among the potential runners for the Closutton maestro.

Galopin Des Champs stormed to a 23-length victory last year, and a repeat of that performance will surely see him prove hard to beat again. However, new kid on the block, Fact To File, defeated the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in the John Durkan when last seen and the pair could renew rivalry once again. Gerri Colombe is also among the possible runners, along with Grand National winner I Am Maximus. A verdict will follow once we know the confirmed runners but, in the meantime, you can read Andy Stephens' Savills Chase runner-by-runner guide and big-race verdict here.

Will it be Grade One win number 11 for State Man? The Unibet Champion Hurdle winner suffered a shock defeat behind Brighterdaysahead on his return in the Morgiana Hurdle, and could lock horns with that rival again. Gordon Elliott’s star mare had the benefit of a recent run last time out, and with State Man four wins (all at Grade One level) from five starts at Leopardstown, as well as race fitness now on his side, he could prove a tough nut to crack this time, which the betting also suggests (State Man is a best-priced 4-7 at the time of writing).