Non-Graded Stake 720m (Group 3)

Open to the Best 8 nominations + Reserves. Includes $100 unplaced.

Prize money: $25000 / $5500 / $3500

A new event on the calendar in 2019 was the four-dog Christmas Cheer, a Group 3 staying event over 720m at Wentworth Park.

The inaugural winner was the Jodie Lodie Lord-trained Just Terms, who repeated her defeat of Blue Moon Rising two weeks earlier in the Newcastle Cup at Ladbrokes Gardens.

Just Terms was fourth in the four-dog field early, but railed to the lead over pacemaker Blue Moon Rising on the home turn and won in a slick 42.35s.

In 2020, the Newcastle Cup again proved to be a good form race with the winner at Ladbrokes Gardens, the Robert Britton-trained Victorian Here's Tears, going on to take out the Christmas Cheer at Wentworth Park.

The 2021 Chirstmas Cheer saw one of the best staying fields assembled in NSW for some time, with Group 1 winner Stanley Road, recent Nowra track record breaker Super Estrella, Newcastle Cup winner and Gardens' track record breaker Cool Bourbski, and the up and coming Zipping Virginia.

While he is accustomed to coming from well back in the field, a jam of the leaders on the first turn saw Stanley Road rail through and lead entering the home straight the first time, and once in front that was the end of the section.

The Mark Gatt-trained stayer ended a fantastic year with yet another feature race win in the Cheer.