UK Horse Racing Tips

Despite being beaten in each of the last four Grade 1 chases he has contested since winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March 2011, the Nicky Henderson-trained Long Run remains a top priced 4/1 favourite in the ante-post book with the likes of bet365 racing betting for the forthcoming King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.

When he won the steeplechasing crown more than 18 months ago in a memorable contest that saw him get the better of the outstanding warhorses Denman and Kauto Star, most people believed the French-bred gelding would be the dominant force in the division for years to come, but things haven’t gone anywhere near as smoothly as so many racing ‘experts’ predicted.

At Haydock on November 24 Long Run made his eagerly anticipated return to action under regular pilot Sam Waley-Cohen, and despite very testing ground was expected to land the Grade 1 Betfair Chase, having 10lbs in hand of his nearest rival Silviniaco Conti on official BHA figures. But even given that rival’s fitness advantage, (having won the Grade 2 bet365 Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby earlier in the month), Long Run never appeared to be a serious threat to the up-and-coming Paul Nicholls-trained chaser, who jumped like a stag and appeared very much at ease in the bog-like conditions.

Although the former champion moved to within a length of the eventual winner after the third last fence, Silviniaco Conti was alwaysholding too many aces for Henderson’s charge and went on to draw away to score comfortably by two-and-a-half lengths. He was soon halved in price for the Cheltenham Gold Cup and is now just 7/1 in the horse racing betting offers to land the blue riband contest in March, a point shorter than Long Run (8/1).

Surprisingly though, Long Run has remained a solid market leader for the King George VI Chase despite his Haydock loss, connections having stressed that they weren’t going to knock their star performer around on his first start of the campaign on such bad ground, and expressing confidence he will come on a good deal for the outing and be at his best to attempt to win back the title he took two years ago and which he surrendered to the revitalized Kauto Star in the 2011 renewal.

There’s no doubt though that Long Run has a big point to prove at Kempton as more and more observers believe he is not quite the force of old. Only a winning performance at the Sunbury track will do if he is torestate his position as the best chaser in training.

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