UK Horse Racing Tips

By Harvey Mayson

The Grade 1 King George VI Chase is one of the top races of the National Hunt season and is the highlight of the Christmas meeting at Kempton Park.

The race is held on Boxing Day each year and is second only to the Cheltenham Gold Cup in terms of prestige. The race will forever be associated with two of the leading steeplechasers of all time in Desert Orchid and Kauto Star. The flying grey won the race four times between 1986 and 1990 but was surpassed by Kauto Star’s five victories between 2006 and 2011.

Trainer Paul Nicholls won the race for the ninth time when Silviniaco Conti recorded his second successive King George success 12 months’ ago.

Don Cossack is the early market leader for Gordon Elliott following an impressive reappearance at Down Royal in October. The eight-year-old easily accounted for his three rivals in the Grade 1 Champion Chase.

The son of Sholokhov was third in the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham festival before romping to a 26-lengths win at Aintree. That remarkable victory over Cue Card was followed by beating Gold Cup runner-up Djakadam by seven lengths at Punchestown and the King George looks the obvious target.

Vautour did not impress everyone when beating Ptit Zig in receipt of 5lbs at Ascot in November. The Willie Mullins-trained gelding only had a length and a quarter to spare but jockey Ruby Walsh was delighted with the performance. He felt that the horse was some way short of his peak and is expecting a big improvement at Kempton. Vautour is yet to race at three miles but this flat track should give him every chance of lasting home.

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Coneygree needs to be supplemented for the race after an apparent computer glitch prevented his entry from going through. He looked good on his first run of the season but missed the Hennessy Gold Cup after losing a shoe in training. Several bookmakers are offering a special “with a run” price for Mark Bradstock’s gelding.

Cue Card looked right back to his best when winning the Betfair Chase at Haydock following a successful breathing operation. Jockey Paddy Brennan could scarcely believe how easily he beat Silviniaco Conti that day, saying that he felt as though he had 20lbs in hand. Cue Card was runner-up in this race in 2013 but faded to finish fifth last season. He is still only nine years of age and trainer Colin Tizzard has already confirmed him a definite starter at Kempton.

Silviniaco Conti is likely to be fitted with blinkers after his disappointing defeat at Haydock. He cannot be ruled out as he was only third at Haydock before winning his first King George in 2013. Former stable companion Al Ferof has finished third in the race for the past two seasons and made a winning start for Dan Skelton in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon.

Hennessy Gold Cup winner Smad Place is still a possible runner, although Alan King is thought to be favouring the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham as his next target. The race is due off at 3.10 on Saturday 26th December and will be televised live on Channel 4.

In the Brewin Dolphin Marathon Handicap Chase (1.40) at Exeter on Friday, Heronshaw is blessed with an abundance of stamina and can make his first attempt beyond 3 miles 2 furlongs a winning one. The Heron Island gelding made a perfectly satisfactory debut over fences when third of nine, beaten 8¼ lengths, behind Wizards Bridge in a novices’ limited handicap chase over 3 miles on the Devon course last month and, with that experience under his belt, should go well off the same handicap mark.

Indeed, Wizards Bridge was only beaten three-quarters of a length in a similar race at Newcastle last week, off an 8lb higher mark, while St Dominick, who finished second in the aforementioned race, won a handicap chase over the same course and distance by 10 lengths, off a 7lb higher mark, eleven days later. The form looks significantly stronger than it did at the time so, with Heronshaw likely to improve for the run, his first since March, and the step up in distance, Henry Daly’s 8-year-old looks to have an outstanding chance. Make the most of your bet with a ladbrokes promo code.

Selection: Exeter 1.40 Heronshaw to win

Qualifiers for the Pertemps Network Final at the Cheltenham Festival are invariably fiercely competitive and the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle (1.30) at Newbury on Friday is no exception.

Billy No Name returned from nearly two years off to win a 0-130 contest over 2 miles 3½ furlongs on soft going at Wetherby last month and, if he can build on that success, may be able to make an impact in this slightly higher grade. He’s 5lb higher in the weights this time, but his revised rating of 120 is still 1lb lower than that before his time off, so he still looks feasibly weighted. Furthermore, he ran well on both attempts beyond 2 miles 5½ furlongs, so should be suited by stepping back up in distance.

On the downside, the Westerner gelding is only small and, as a result, probably doesn’t want any deterioration of the already soft going at Newbury.

Interestingly, Paddy Brennan, who won on him at Wetherby, once again comes in for the ride, despite Billy No Name being set to carry 10st 1lb, or just 1lb more than his minimum riding weight over the last 12 months.

Selection: Newbury 1.30 Billy No Name

In the Totepool Supporting Sport You Love Handicap (6.40) at Chelmsford on Friday, it’s been a while since Shifting Star won at 0-80 level, but John Bridger’s veteran was only beaten a neck in a similar contest at Epsom in August, off a 6lb lower mark, so is far from a forlorn hope. Of course, the Night Shift gelding is unlikely to be improving in leaps and bounds at the age of ten, but ran well enough when second at Lingfield, off a 4lb lower mark, and when winning at Windsor, off a 2lb lower mark, on his two most recent starts to suggest that he may well be up to the task.

Shifting Star is making his sixteenth start of the season and, although still nowhere near the rating of 99 he achieved as a 3-year-old, he has officially improved 10lb since the turn of the year and appears to have found his level once again. In a race where recent winning form is thin on the ground, he must have a decent chance of becoming John Bridger’s first winner at the Essex track.

Selection: Chelmsford 6.40 Shifting Star to win