Christmas Schedule & Awards Markets

4/12/23

It’s been a hectic last few weeks and it’s only going to get busier in the lead up to and over Christmas and the New Year so here’s the schedule for the festive period.

Christmas Day falls on a Monday so there won’t be much of a gap this year between Race Previews columns covering the two-day Ascot Meeting that takes two days beforehand with Boxing Day previews uploaded on Christmas Day. I’ll be covering all the best action from Kempton, Aintree, Chepstow, Wetherby, Leopardstown, Limerick and Newbury between December 26-30 before overseeing Cheltenham on New Year’s Day so the only day off that week will be New Year’s Eve.

As for the Cheltenham Festival columns, Weeks 5, 6 and 7 will continue as normal on the 5^th, 12^th and 19^th and then a two weeks’ break returning on January 2^nd so that I can cover all of the festive action in one big column which also frees up my time to write the daily Race Previews. I’ve been quiet on Cheltenham ante-post recommendations so far but expect a few to go up ahead of horses’ festive-season targets. Not much point in doing so now before their next run giving a few weeks’ extra risk if I don’t think that their Cheltenham odds will shorten up in between.

Ante Post Focus will have a week off in between Christmas and the New Year but The Sunday Sermon columns on General Sports will continue as normal throughout all of December and into January. Andy Richmond’s Beating The Bias Monday column will also have a week off so no New Year’s Day edition. Also, what will have been his Christmas Day (Monday) column will be uploaded on Christmas Eve instead.

After such a manic period I will then take my usual short, mid-season European Citybreak in the first week of January (I’m thinking Krakow this year to finally knock Poland off my list) after the Cheltenham column has been uploaded so between Wednesday-Friday meaning that that weekend’s Race Previews will be a shorter version uploaded on Saturday morning. That’s the weakest/quietest Saturday of the jumps season with the feature race being the Veterans’ Final now that the Tolworth Hurdle has been moved to Aintree on Boxing Day.

Being December, the World Darts Championship is the big sporting event of the month. For me, at least. Mike Henderson has nailed the last three winners for us; Gerwyn Price at 5/1, Peter Wright at 7/1 and Michael Smith at 8/1, so I look forward to seeing what he has in store for us. I’ve already stuck up Luke Humphries at 9/1 in one of my Sunday columns who is now 100/30 in places so will be mildly surprised if he joins me now that the fancy prices from a couple of months ago have gone about Cool Hand Luke, but let’s find out on Sunday.

I went to watch Napolean last week and that is not going to be challenging Oppenheimer and Killers Of The Flower Moon at the The Oscars for Best Picture. Perfectly watchable but something that you can wait until it appears on TV rather than making a trip to the cinema. My next trip to the flicks will probably be to watch Adam Driver star in Ferrari (as Enzo Ferrari) which roars into UK Cinemas on Boxing Day.

I was all over Cillian Murphy to win Best Actor for Oppenheimer at Evens as favs usually start no bigger than 1/3 for this gong on the night so there’s still plenty of juice in 5/6, I reckon. William Hill are the first (and only firm) to open a market on Best Supporting Actor where Robert Downey Jnr (Oppenheimer) is 4/5 fav over Robert De Niro at 7/2 (KOTFM). I thought De Niro’s performance was the better of the pair so have had a small nibble.

The wraparound PGA Golf Tour properly kicks off for me in early January but Tiger Woods returned to action last week in the Hero World Challenge finishing 20 shots off the winner, Scottie Scheffler. Given that he is Evens to complete four rounds these days, at least that part of it was encouraging in his first start since retiring through The Masters. He plans to play one tournament a month in 2024. Will he named Ryder Cup captain for a home-soil game after Europe gave the job again to Luke Donald?

Mary Earps is now 2/5 to win this wretched BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Has there ever been a worse year with the odds-on favourite a losing finalist and the second-fav, Stuart Broad, part of a team that couldn’t win The Ashes? With Frankie Dettori having decided not to retire and being voted out of the jungle first (that’s got to hurt his massive ego), I am not even convinced he’ll be one of the six nominations. He’s actually still 10/1 in places! Having won the gold medal in the World Championships covered by BBC, Katarina Johnson-Thompson has to be nominated so 16/1 about her is the best value. At least she’s won something.

I’m off to watch Australian Pink Floyd at the De Montford Hall in Leicester tomorrow - the gold standard of PF tributes which brings us onto Christmas Number One. Fairytale Of New York is to many the ultimate Xmas chune but it has never hit the top spot. Following Shane MacGowan’s death last week, it is now only 1/4 to finally be Christmas Number One with Ladbaby, who has been on top on December 25th for the last five years, withdrawing this time.

Got on a lucky one

Came in 18/1

I’ve got a feeling this year’s for me and you

So happy Christmas

I love you baby

I can see a better time

When all our dreams come true

Yep, I’ll take an 18/1 winner this Christmas.