Forget Christmas Day, the King George VI Chase at Kempton is almost upon us on Boxing Day. We have covered all bases to provide a comprehensive overview of the race alongside an exclusive Betfair offer which provides £50 in free bets.
History
With handicaps having initially been the more heralded prizes over jumps, the King George’s inauguration in 1937 owes much to the success of a similar race at Cheltenham.
The Gold Cup’s prestige grew markedly in the 1930s thanks to five-time winner Golden Miller and though the Dorothy Paget-owned great never ran in this contest, he was possibly responsible for open Grade 1 chases becoming the most sought after prizes.
There were only two pre-war runnings, both in February of their respective years. The first King George was won by the 12-year-old Southern Hero and no horse since him has won at such an age.
However, the first post-war running led the way for the King George’s position in the calendar and in British history. It was run on Boxing Day and in the two decades that followed, this became a race treasured above all others for staying chasers, along with the Gold Cup. Such horses as Cottage Rake, Limber Hill, Mandarin, Saffron Tartan, Mill House and of course the mighty Arkle, all claimed both races before 1970.
With the National Hunt calendar even more stubbornly inflexible in the past, the King George was lost on many an occasion due to frost. Every renewal since 1982 has taken place, however and in a way, a new era of multiple winners was birthed.
Prior to 1981, Halloween, Mandarin, Pendil, Captain Christy and Silver Buck had all won the race twice, but the elusive hat-trick remained out of reach.
In 1985, having been defeated in 1984, Wayward Lad finally achieved that feat and with his third different jockey. Ever the unfortunate bridesmaid, a tag often attributed to him due to his narrow failures at Cheltenham, his achievements were soon overshadowed in the race by one of the most popular racehorses of all time.
David Elsworth’s recent retirement gives us even more reason to talk about Desert Orchid. The galloping grey took the race on no fewer than four occasions (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990), his snowy appearance the perfect metaphor for a perennial winner during the festive season. It looked as if that record would never be broken.
In between and after Desert Orchid’s wins came victories for France. Francois Doumen had immense success as a trainer, sending out four different winners in this race. Nupsala (1987) was the only horse to beat Desert Orchid in Kempton’s showpiece, The Fellow (1991/1992) was his two-time winner, while both Algan (1994) and First Gold (2000) secured first-time victories in Britain in barnstorming fashion.
However, in the true spirit of our monarchy, kings, even those as popular as Dessie, are there to be usurped. And so along came Kauto Star.
Possibly the greatest since Arkle, possibly the greatest ever, Paul Nicholls’ titan became as reliable as Santa Claus to turn up at Christmas. Four straight wins between 2006 and 2009 were boosted for good measure by a fifth in 2011 at the age of 11, snatching back his title from the far younger Long Run. That fifth victory secured immortality, if he hadn’t done so elsewhere already.
Those five victories sit among a remarkable 12 for Nicholls, with two each for See More Business, Silviniaco Conti and Clan Des Obeaux burnishing the cabinet with Frodon’s sole victory last season. There may be battalions from Ireland this time around, but a 13th win in the race is a distinct possibility.
This Year’s Field
An enigmatic grey at Kempton on Boxing Day. However, while Desert Orchid was unquestionably the good guy, there is something villainous about Asterion Forlonge.
He is, like Dessie, a Grade 1 level talent, and while he is extremely unlikely to even reach half of his tally of wins, this is a race that should suit Willie Mullins’ charge perfectly. His trainer has regularly spoken of a step up to three miles of late and the flat, right-handed nature of Kempton is most closely mirrored in Ireland by Punchestown, at which he has achieved both of his chase victories.
However, his penchant for mischief has led to three non-completions over feces, including when travelling best in the John Durkan at Punchestown on his return. That would have been an extremely strong performance if he had kept going and he was travelling best at the time.
Then, of course, he unseated poor Brian Cooper. That risk will unfortunately always be attached to him, but his last two efforts have been his best over fences and no Grade 1 chase will suit him better than the King George.
Back ASTERION FORLONGE And Get £50 In Free Bets
CHANTRY HOUSE 4/1
Just over two seasons into his career and Chantry House has still only been beaten twice under rules. He has now won his last four starts over fences, including in Grade 1 novice events at the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree.
He faced only The Big Breakaway on his return in a Graduation Chase and made very light work of Colin Tizzard’s horse despite carrying 6lbs more. The form of such a contest can always be brought into question, but it certainly didn’t suggest any kind of regression from Chantry House.
He did benefit from fallers in the two top tier events he won last term, but he could do little more than go on to win the races thereafter. Moreover, there will always be a question over second season chases making it in open company.
That said, his one seriously below-par run last season came on his only start in December. Whether that is a genuine stick to beat him with may only be told if there is a repeat, but it is a slight question mark nevertheless.
Back CHANTRY HOUSE And Get £50 In Free Bets
CLAN DES OBEAUX 10/3
The two-time winner in 2018 and 2019 arguably arrives off the back of his most significant victories.
Clan Des Obeaux ran away with the Betway Bowl at Aintree, winning by 26 lengths and re-asserting himself as Britain’s leading staying chaser after having lost his King George crown to a nearby box. However, even better was to come.
After the Irish domination at the Cheltenham Festival, it was remarkable that Clan Des Obeaux, famously a dissenter of Prestbury Park and thus absent from the Gold Cup, went over to Punchestown and won their Gold Cup from Al Boum Photo.
That was probably a career best and put him within touching distance of the elite 180 RPR camp. He arrives at Kempton this season without a prep run for the first time, although Nicholls believes having him too sharp for last season’s Betfair Chase, in which he was second, took the edge off him for this.
Any dual champion has to be respected, especially off the back of recent efforts. This will be the strongest renewal of this race he will have run in however.
Back CLAN DES OBEAUX And Get £50 In Free Bets
FRODON 13/2
Last year’s unlikely victor, although we should probably have stopped underestimating Frodon by now.
Just when it appears that he’s contesting a race he cannot win, he reappears to extraordinary effect. He lost the Grade 2 Many Clouds Chase by 82 lengths last season, only to win the King George on his next start.
After being headed in the Oaksey Chase by the strong-travelling Mister Fisher, he improbably regained the advantage on the run-in. And as three of Ireland’s biggest Gold Cup hopes amassed behind him in Down Royal’s Grade 1 Champion Chase on his seasonal return, he repelled them all, including Gold Cup winner Minella Indo.
He won’t be 20/1 again this year, but nobody is considering Frodon favourite for the race he won from the front a year ago, despite the renewed strength of his form. That would not make him and Bryony Frost any less popular winners.
Back FRODON And Get £50 In Free Bets
LOSTINTRANSLATION 14/1
After over 18 months spent in the wilderness, Lostintranslation finally bounced back to remind us of his ability just in time for a third tilt at the King George.
That is if you can count his previous two efforts in this race as “tilts”. He was pulled up in both, the first off the back of his biggest success in the 2019 Betfair Chase, the second last year after having been disappointing in the same race.
However, the Tizzards have always been confident that this test should suit. There’ll certainly be fewer excuses than in the past. His victory in Ascot’s 1965 Chase was his best run since finishing third in the 2020 Gold Cup. We know what he’s capable of at his best.
Even that might not now be good enough given the possible depth in this field, but it seems likely we will finally see him give a good account of himself in this race.
Back LOSTINTRANSLATION And Get £50 In Free Bets
MINELLA INDO 4/1
The Gold Cup hero last season, there has been a wave of support for Minella Indo ever since it was announced by Henry de Bromhead that all systems were go for Kempton.
A word of caution should be issued though, as none of Minella Indo’s three efforts either side of Cheltenham have been his best. He fell when favourite for last season’s Savills Chase, could finish only fourth in the Irish Gold Cup and was then third to Frodon in Down Royal’s Champion Chase.
His jumping has generally been sound aside from that fall, and his fourth to Kemboy at Leopardstown can be put down to tuning up for Cheltenham following that non-completion. Similarly, he did not look fully fit behind Frodon. However, seeing how ready A Plus Tard was for the Betfair Chase, one would imagine Minella Indo will be absolutely 100% for the King George.
The current good ground is no issue for him. The only doubt is whether a flat three miles may suit slightly pacier horses, as his recent run at Down Royal suggested.
Back MINELLA INDO And Get £50 In Free Bets
MISTER FISHER 20/1
With an official rating of 162, there are not many places Mister Fisher can go, but an entry in the King George is not totally misplaced.
He only completed two of his five starts last season, pulling up on his reappearance in handicap company in the Paddy Power Gold Cup and when one of many taken off their feet by Allaho in the Ryanair. He also unseated in Clan Des Obeaux’s Betway Bowl.
However, it was not all doom and gloom. He won the rearranged Peterborough Chase at Cheltenham last December and looked certain to beat Frodon in Sandown’s Oaksey Chase at the end of the season before getting improbably overhauled late on. That form alone would give him an excellent chance here.
Apart from his bumper debut though, he has never won fresh and that makes it a significant concert that this will be his seasonal debut. He has won both races at Kempton albeit neither were chases and he has never looked like winning in Grade 1 company.
Back MISTER FISHER And Get £50 In Free Bets
SAINT CALVADOS 25/1
Contrary to Mister FIsher, Saint Calvados is a horse who goes very well fresh, having won on his termly return on three occasions.
The only time he didn’t was when fourth in the King George last season. However, that was a massive run and had he not pulled hard towards the front end, he may well have won. Still travelling best coming into the straight, his effort only bottomed out towards the last.
He is still unexposed as a staying chaser, with his only other three-mile start coming in the rearranged Cotswold Chase at Sandown in February in which he unseated after stumbling at the railway fences. That was the first fall of his career and is not too much of a concern.
Now having his first run for Paul Nicholls, if he can settle better he is right in with a chance on last year’s form. There has been a slight question mark over those who have transferred from Harry Whittington’s stable to Ditcheat and he may not be the first priority here, but he is still an interesting each-way shot.
Back SAINT CALVADOS And Get £50 In Free Bets
TORNADO FLYER 25/1
A winner of his first two chase starts in 2019, Tornado Flyer now has a losing run of nine starts and two years, but he has rarely been disgraced in defeat.
That is because seven of the nine starts have come at the highest level and he has been placed in three of those. A sign of the company he has kept is to look at the winners of the five most recent races he has contested: Min, A Plus Tard, Chacun Pour Soi and Allaho twice. In those races, his form reads 25435. Consistency equinified.
His one attempt at three miles came in the Savills Chase last December and though he did not stay then, Kempton’s sharper track could see him last home better, as he did well over 2m4f in the Ryanair at Cheltenham when so many others did not.
He is the least likely to claim the prize for Ireland out of their entries here, but a place is not out of the question.
Back TORNADO FLYER And Get £50 In Free Bets
BIG RACE VERDICT
Mercurial individuals are so tough to recommend, but a Grade 1 will hardly ever suit Asterion Forlonge more. His run in the John Durkan suggested that he really is as talented as first thought, but getting round is half his issue. As such, CLAN DES OBEAUX is taken to win a third King George, as he comes into this in terrific form, has been saved for this by his trainer and for whom we know conditions are ideal. His stablemates Frodon and Saint Calvados are right in the mix having been the protagonists for the majority of last year’s race while it’s impossible to rule out the Gold Cup winner Minella Indo.