The 2012 December Gold Cup (the old Massey Ferguson) was run as the Paul Stewart IronSpine Charity Challenge Gold Cup.
Unioniste became the first 4 year old to win the race giving Paul Nicholls is 3rd win th the last 4 renewals.
December Gold Cup 2012 Result
| Pos. | Horse | SP | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
| 1 | Unioniste (FR) | 15-2 | 4 | Harry Derham | P F Nicholls |
| 2 | Walkon (FR) | 7-2 | 7 | R Thornton | A King |
| 3 | Golden Chieftain (IRE) | 20-1 | 7 | D Crosse | C L Tizzard |
| 4 | Tartak (FR) | 20-1 | 9 | R Johnson | Tim Vaughan |
| 5 | Micheal Flips (IRE) | 33-1 | 8 | James Banks | Andrew Turnell |
| 6 | Tatenen (FR) | 40-1 | 8 | A Thornton | R Rowe |
| 7 | Astracad (FR) | 10-1 | 6 | S Twiston-Davies | N A Twiston-Davies |
| 8 | Quantitativeeasing (IRE) | 16-1 | 7 | B J Geraghty | N J Henderson |
| 9 | Renard (FR) | 20-1 | 7 | Aidan Coleman | Miss V Williams |
| PU | Cristal Bonus (FR) | 4-1 | 6 | R Walsh | P F Nicholls |
| PU | Notus De La Tour (FR) | 11-2 | 6 | T Scudamore | D Pipe |
| PU | Have You Seen Me (IRE) | 33-1 | 9 | Adam Wedge | N A Twiston-Davies |
| PU | Hell’s Bay (FR) | 50-1 | 10 | Gavin Sheehan | K Burke |
| UR | Nadiya De La Vega (FR) | 8-1 | 6 | A P McCoy | N J Henderson |
December Gold Cup Stats 2002-2011
- Just one favourite has won since 1996
- 23 of last 26 winners came from first 4 in the betting
- 6 of the last 9 winners officially rated between 142 and 151
- Nicky Henderson has trained 3 of the last 9 winners
- Since 1993 all winners have been aged between 6 and 8
- 15 of last 18 winners at least placed on their most recent start
- Last 10 winners had previously won or been placed in a race at Cheltenham
December Gold Cup Winners 2002-2011
| Year | Winner | Trainer | Age | Wgt | OR | Jockey | Odds |
| 2011 | Quantitativeeasing (IRE) | N J Henderson | 6 | 10-7 | 145 | Barry Geraghty | 6-1 |
| 2010 | Poquelin (FR) | Paul Nicholls | 7 | 11-7 | 163 | Ian Popham | 16-1 |
| 2009 | Poquelin (FR) | Paul Nicholls | 6 | 11-8 | 151 | Ruby Walsh | 7-2 |
| 2008 | No race | ||||||
| 2007 | Tamarinbleu (FR) | David Pipe | 7 | 11-8 | 150 | Denis O’Regan | 22-1 |
| 2006 | Exotic Dancer (FR) | Jonjo O’Neill | 6 | 11-4 | 149 | Tony Dobbin | 8-1 |
| 2005 | Sir Oj (IRE) | Noel Meade | 8 | 10-0 | 132 | Paul Carberry | 16-1 |
| 2004 | Monkerhostin (FR) | Philip Hobbs | 7 | 10-2 | 134 | Richard Johnson | 4-1 |
| 2003 | Iris Royal (FR) | N J Henderson | 7 | 10-13 | 142 | Mick Fitzgerald | 7-1 |
| 2002 | Fondmort (FR) | N J Henderson | 6 | 10-5 | 143 | Mick Fitzgerald | 5-1 |
December Gold Cup Odds
