WITH so many of the best horses running, Christmas is a time that can provide clarity to pecking order in the various divisions ahead of the spring, but the 2025 version seemed more about chaos. Consider the staying chase pecking order for the moment, where we have a Gold Cup market with seven horses priced between 6/1 and 12/1.

The King George finish had four horses covered by less than a length while the Savills Chase result left unanswered questions. I do wonder if the winner, Affordale Fury, is being too readily dismissed as a fluke, odds of around 20/1 making some appeal for Cheltenham.