King George VI Chase: Ante Post View

The King George VI Chase is a Grade One National Hunt contest run at Kempton Park racecourse over three miles, open to horses aged four or older. Entrants will have to jump a total of 18 fences if they are to be in with a chance of lifting the trophy.

The race takes place on Boxing Day (26th December) every year and for many racing fans it his their highlight of their Christmas festivities.

So who are the main protagonists to look out for ahead of one of the festive period’s biggest horse racing betting events?

Leading King George VI Chase Contenders

Well the head of the market looks fraught with danger! Trainer Jimmy Mangan has warned Spillane’s Tower won’t run in the King George unless there is sufficient ease in the ground, plus the six-year-old actually needs supplementing for the race, but apparently that is the plan for him.

His fine reappearance second to Fact To File in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase last month, catapulted him through to race favouritism and JP McManus-owned horses always have to be respected.

Positives for the Walk In The Park gelding is that he’s won over three miles before and that he is a five-timer scorer. Negatives are he’s a ground dependent horse and he’s never raced outside of Ireland.

Second in the betting is the Dan Skelton-trained Grey Dawning and if he was coming into this race fresh, on the back of his excellent novice season I would really like him.

However he isn’t, and having seen him stretch every sinew in what was an attritional Betfair Chase at Haydock Park, I cannot see him collecting this Boxing Day feature in a month of Sundays. Sorry Dan!

Slide your eyes down to the horses vying for third and fourth favouritism in the ante-post betting market, and you are starting to look at the ones with serious chances.

JP McManus has yet another leading staying chaser on his hands in the shape of Corbetts Cross and he put it all together when trotting up in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham in March. That was over 3m6f, so he versatile when it comes to 3m+ trips.

Class performer Envoi Allen also makes the trip over from Ireland. He may well just be shy of his eleventh birthday, but he showed his desire to win is still strong when just edging out Hewick and recorded his ninth Grade One victory in the Champion Chase at Down Royal.

The best of the home guard in my opinion is L’Homme Presse for Venetia Williams. The Herefordshire-based trainer, has purposely plotted the Gold Cup fourth towards this race, deliberately bypassing the Betfair Chase and focussing all his work towards a Christmas return.

Those of you searching for a big outsider may want to give the onceover to the French raider General De Chef.

Hark back to those halcyon days of The Fellow and Nupsala flying the flag for France in the King George, and its not impossible for an imposing chaser from that side of the Channel to stamp his authority on one of our staying chases.

A good third in the Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris back in May, this isn’t the silliest outsider you could follow over the Christmas holidays.

Steve Mullington’s selection: L’Homme Presse (E/W)