Christmas racing guide 2024: day-by-day overview - plus ITV Racing schedule

What is the Racing Post Festive Feast?

Racing fans will enjoy a feast of top-class action in Britain and Ireland over the Christmas period including 12 Grade 1s – and the Racing Post will be your ultimate companion every step of the way.

We've already been treated to a brilliant Ladbrokes King George VI Chase, while Constitution Hill returned with an almighty bang as he slammed Lossiemouth in the Christmas Hurdle. Sir Gino dazzled on his chasing debut in the Wayward Lad, while Mel Rowley enjoyed her biggest victory when Val Dancer landed the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow on Friday.

There is Grade 1 action galore at Leopardstown during the four-day meeting that runs from December 26-29, and the big races keep on coming in Britain too, going right through to Cheltenham's traditional New Year's Day showstopper.

Christmas goodies to look forward to

The Racing Post will provide unmissable news, features, reports, analysis and top tipping from the likes of Tom Segal, Keith Melrose, David Jennings and Johnny Dineen. Ensure you don't miss a thing by picking up the newspaper every day, or take advantage of our fantastic Members’ Club Ultimate offer and get your first three months of online membership for half price, taking you through to the Cheltenham Festival at the discounted rate of £24.99 per month (with code MEMBERS24 at completion of your purchase).

Head to our YouTube channel for further expert insight from Jennings and Dineen in a special edition of Upping The Ante, our popular Cheltenham Festival ante-post show, on Tuesday, December 31.

The Racing Post Festive Feast is the name we've created to give a coherent theme to the seven days of brilliant racing action from December 26 to New Year's Day.

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Day-by-day Christmas racing schedule

Wednesday, January 1

The Grade 2 Relkeel Hurdle (2.40) headlines a superb seven-race card in front of what will be a bumper Cheltenham crowd on New Year's Day.

The 2m4½f feature was won by Bob Olinger 12 months ago and often attracts a competitive field. The £100,000 Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase was won by subsequent Cheltenham Festival winner Shakem Up'Arry last season and is another race to look forward to.

The ITV Racing cameras will also be at Musselburgh on New Year's Day, with the £40,000 'Auld Reekie' Handicap Chase over 2m4½f the feature contest on the Scottish venue's six-race card.

The Grade 3 New Year's Day Chase (2.15) at Tramore has been won by subsequent Gold Cup winners Al Boum Photo and Minella Indo in recent years and is always an informative contest.

How to watch

ITV Racing will broadcast action from Cheltenham and Musselburgh on ITV1 with coverage beginning at 1pm and running until 3.35pm.

ITV Racing schedule

Cheltenham

• 1.30: Betfair Handicap Chase, 3m1½f
• 2.05: Betfair Exchange Handicap Chase (Premier Handicap), 2m4½f
• 2.40: Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle, 3m
• 3.15: Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle (Grade 2), 2m4½f

Musselburgh

• 1.45: Livescore Bet Best Odds Daily Hogmaneigh Handicap Hurdle, 2m4f 
• 2.20: Virgin Bet Auld Reekie Handicap Chase, 2m4½f

Other key races

Tramore

• 2.15: O'Driscoll's Irish Whiskey New Year's Day Chase (Grade 3), 2m7f

The Racing Post's Festive Feast treats

Here are some of the special features you can look forward to in the Racing Post over Christmas, available for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers online from 6pm the night before unless stated.

• Monday, December 23: Tackle our much-loved annual Christmas Quiz compiled by historian and statistician John Randall, while Lee Mottershead runs down the most influential figures in racing and our tipsters offer their best ante-post bets for 2025.
• Tuesday, December 24: Matters closer to hand are next in our tipsters' sights as they give their top tips for Christmas in our '12 Plays of Christmas' feature, while we also have an interview with dual King George-winning rider Noel Fehily. Plus get all the cards and form for Boxing Day.
• Thursday, December 26: It's King George day and Pricewise leads an unbeatable package of previews, analysis and tipping for the best of the action at Kempton, Aintree, Leopardstown and Wetherby. Pro punter Mark Holder is also on hand with his pearls of betting wisdom, available exclusively for Members' Club Ultimate subscribers from 2pm on Tuesday.
• Friday, December 27: The Coral Welsh Grand National is the highlight at Chepstow and coverage is accompanied by our unrivalled reports on the King George and all the Boxing Day action.
• Saturday, December 28: The clash between Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs and stablemate Fact To File takes centre stage in Leopardstown's Savills Chase while Britain's top novice hurdlers will attempt to push their Cheltenham credentials in the Challow Hurdle at Newbury.
• Sunday, December 29: The fourth and final day of the Leopardstown Christmas festival is the highlight on the track, while our usual fantastic weekend features package includes Julian Muscat telling the remarkable story of Sir Michael Stoute's early days in the sport and our monthly look ahead to what's happening on the track in the next month in Go Racing.
• Monday, December 30: Peter Thomas is in unmissable form in his review of the year.
• Tuesday, December 31: It's our annual look at the best special bets for 2025 across the sporting world.
• Wednesday, January 1: Expert analysis and insight for Cheltenham's traditional New Year's Day fixture.

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'The 7-4 available is massive' - your Christmas racing questions answered 

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