The festive sporting calendar is alive and kicking in 2016 with a slew of football, rugby and darts to enjoy, and not to be outdone there is a rather attractive National Hunt meeting at Kempton Park on Boxing Day; the standout race of which is the fantastic King George VI Chase.
This renewal acts as an intriguing waypoint in the season: coming just three months shy of the Cheltenham Festival, this is an excellent opportunity to spot some early betting value for the hottest meeting in horse racing.
The King George was dealt something of a blow this week with the withdrawal of Coneygree, a powerful chaser expected to challenge for honours at Kempton. While the unstoppable Douvan is still listed in some bookmakers’ ante post reckoning, it is highly unlikely that the Willie Mullins trained beast will take to the track here.
All of which means that the Colin Tizzard yard boasts the two hot fancies for this renewal, Cue Card and Thistlecrack, with the rest of the field available at 14/1 bar. Of the two, it is Cue Card who really catches the eye.
King George VI Chase Outright Winner
Available at an industry standard 11/8 with the likes of bet365, Coral and Betfair, Cue Card looks a more than fair price at anything on the good side of even money given the absence of Coneygree.
Thistlecrack is a contender for sure, but as a relatively inexperienced chaser with just three starts over fences to his name, the smart money is on the proven Cue Card successfully defending his King George crown.
Tizzard nearly banked £1 million courtesy of the ten-year-old last season; victories in the Betfair Chase and the King George giving him two-thirds of the triumphs needed to land the Chase Triple Crown top prize; a fall in the Cheltenham Gold Cup putting paid to those hopes.
In total, fourteen horses have triumphed in the King George on more than one occasion, with the likes of Kauto Star and Silviniaco Conti both doing so this decade. A precedence for repeat winners bodes well for Cue Card, who romped home in November’s Betfair Chase by 15 lengths from Coneygree to dust off the cobwebs of a third from his season’s start at Wetherby in October.
It’s almost by a process of elimination that we come to Cue Card as our main selection, in addition to the fact he is an outstanding horse. Thistlecrack has ran three times over fences and gone off at 1/6, 1/7 and 1/8 – it’s no wonder he’s gone three from three thus far. The rest of the field is priced at 14/1 or longer, which tells its own tale.
So back the defending champion to retain his crown.
King George VI Chase Each Way Tips
The field for the King George is likely to be 18 horses, and with bookies only paying out on three places – and two of those likely to be Cue Card and Thistlecrack – the options are rather limited for those favouring each way punts.
That said, we certainly wouldn’t put anybody off jumping on late entrant, Josses Hill, at 14/1 with Ladbrokes and others.
This is a young chaser that appears to have been primed for King George glory from the get-go, winning the Peterborough Chase with ease last time out in a field which contained the excellent Tea for Two and Dodging Bullets. That particular test at Huntingdon is said to be an excellent dress rehearsal for Kempton with its flat terrain and stark right-handedness, and Josses Hill is a horse that favours good to soft going; which is predicted on Monday.
The eight-year-old won at Kempton as recently as November, and really there is nothing to fear in getting on board. As race day approaches his price is likely to shorten considerably.
Recommended Bets
Cue Card to win (11/8 with Betfair)
Josses Hill each way (14/1 with Ladbrokes)
