The King George VI Chase
Boxing Day in the UK is traditionally seen as one of the biggest sporting days of the entire calendar, and a day that fans of many different sports look forward to just as much as they look forward to Christmas the day before. For some this day is Christmas for adults, and one of the biggest fixtures of the day is the King George VI race, held at Kempton Park. This is the centrepiece of a strong two-day meeting at the course, held on a day when racing takes place up and down the UK. However, regardless of the quantity on offer, the quality of this race sets it apart from anything else taking place on this day.
This race could easily be regarded by jumps fans as the most fascinating race of the season. It takes place right in the heart of the calendar, horses have all had a prep run ahead of this, and no one can claim they are tired after a long hard season. The race will also be run in proper winter ground, something you can't guarantee if we have a dry spell at Cheltenham.
The reason this race is so fasinating is because of the different contenders that come together for it. Being a flat track and a very sharp three miles, this race attracts those stepping up to three miles while also having Gold Cup horses involved, we rarely see these two types of horse take each other on elsewhere. As a punter looking at the race you have to ask yourself if you want to be with the speed of those who excel at two and a half miles or whether you want to go with the stayers who should be coming to the fore towards the end of this race. Either way, the fact that punters have this choice in front of them and we get to witness the different types of horses going head to head is fascinating for those watching.
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2020King George VI Chase Result
1st Froden - 20/1 - trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Bryony Frost
2nd Waiting Patiently - 12/1 - Ruth Jefferson/B S Hughes
3rd Clan Des Obeaux 85/40F - Paul Nicholls/Sam Twiston-Davies
Past King George Winners
Some of the biggest names in the sport have won the King George VI Chase in the past, here is a look back at the past 10 winners of this race.
- 2020 - Frodon
- 2019 - Clan Des Obeaux
- 2018 - Clan Des Obeaux
- 2017 - Might Bite
- 2016 - Thistlecrack
- 2015 - Cue Card
- 2014 - Silviniaco Conti
- 2013 - Silviniaco Conti
- 2012 - Long Run
- 2011 - Kauto Star
- 2010 - Long Run
Betting on the King George VI Chase
As far as betting races go, the King George VI Chase is right up there with the biggest of them and as well as being a top quality event, it is helped by taking place on Boxing Day. This means live coverage on ITV, a huge audience and a lot of people off work for the festive period. As a result of all of this, this is one of the biggest betting heats of the year, and a fascinating market to follow. The final declarations are revealed early for this race too, which helps, so that they can be publicised in the Christmas Eve newspapers in the UK, meaning punters have an extra day to study the final field of this race and many others.
While the sheer volume of racing on Boxing Day is as big as we see during the year, punters don't forget about quality, and that always brings a big crowd of people looking to get a bet on this famous race.
Something else that helps those betting on the King George VI Chase is the offers that bookmakers have on this race. If we have a big field then look out for enhanced place terms on each way bets, while enhanced odds on the favourite is also something you could see. Bookmakers will be doing what they can to stand out above the competition on this day and one of the ways to do this is by having these offers available. Opening a new betting account is something that many people do on Boxing Day, and the King George will form part of the offerings from those bookmakers, so check out if there is anything special on offer that you can use on this race before you open an account.
Supporting Races at the Kempton Christmas Festival
The King George VI Chase is the centrepiece of the Kempton Christmas Festival, a two day feast of racing that takes place on the 26th & 27th December. Alongside the feature race on the 26th we have the Grade One Kauto Star Novice Chase and the Grade One Christmas Hurdle. The novice chase is a race where we will see stars of the future and horses that could turn into Gold Cup contenders. It is named after the great Kauto Star, a horse who won the King George VI Chase a remarkable five times, as well as winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup and many other prestigous races. The Christmas Hurdle is ran over two miles and possible Champion Hurdle contenders take their place herein the build up to that race.
The second day of this meeting is home to two Grade Two races, the Desert Orchid Chase which is named after another King George VI hero, he won the race four times during his career. The other Grade Two is the Wayward Lad Novice Chase, a horse that won the King George VI three times in his career. Both of these races are ran over two miles, showcasing the stars of today and the future stars of tomorrow. As you can see from the race names that Kempton have in place for their big names, the tradition of the King George VI Chase has been going for many years, and horses that win the race are held in very high regard.