2022 King George VI Chase Tips
Bravemansgame is a smart seven-year-old who could end up winning a Cheltenham Gold Cup during his career. There was a strong performance when obliging in the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase when the runner fended off Eldorado Allen by over three lengths. A three mile trip on good to soft ground could have served as the perfect warm-up for a runner who is likely to be a warm order.
L'Homme Presse goes for Venetia Williams and there was a Cheltenham Festival victory last March when he claimed the spoils in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase. After a poor showing at Aintree, it was a trip to Newcastle at the end of November where the horse was a more comfortable winner than his one-length victory.
Hitman was the odds-on favourite when obliging in the Get Daily Rewards With Betfair Graduation Chase at Haydock Park on 19 November, with the same horse having finished second in the Jewson St Helens Old Roan Limited Handicap Chase and it was a close run thing when being touched off by Riders On the Storm.
Envoi Allen has had an interesting career, with the eight-year-old likely to have Rachael Blackmore on board, with Henry de Bromhead having saddled the horse to victory in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase. Perhaps the longer distance of a King George will better suit a horse who found the pace too hot in the Queen Mother at Cheltenham.
2021 King George VI Chase Betting Tips
The Ladbrokes King George VI Chase is one of the highlight races of the National Hunt horse racing season, with this taking place on Boxing Day and it takes place at Kempton Racecourse. This is a three-mile encounter which is highly exciting and the 2021 renewal could be a rip-roaring encounter.
Clan Des Obeaux could be like a fine wine at the age of nine and the Paul Nicholls-trained runner certainly looks to be in tip-top condition at the moment. Despite being sent off at odds of 100/30 to win the Punchestown Gold Cup, the horse was able to lower the colours of Al Boum Photo and claim a victory on yielding ground.
Nicholls has a hatful of experience when it comes to training horses over three miles and the legendary Kauto Star racked up a number of victories, with jockey Harry Cobden having ridden Clan des Obeaux to victory in the Betway Bowl Chase and so it’s clear that this runner looks like the one to beat.
Can Frodon Land Another King George Chase Victory?
Paul Nicholls appears to have a number of angles of attack when it comes to the King George VI Chase, with Frodon being a game runner who has already proven himself capable of winning this race. Twelve months ago, jockey Bryony Frost gave this horse a tremendous spin to win at Kempton and he’ll be back to defend his crown.
However, the horse finished well off the pace in the Cheltenham Gold Cup when finishing fifth, while the runner then won the Oaksey Chase at Sandown Park in April before recently winning the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal.
Chantry House, Minella Indo and Envoi Allen Also Entered
With four consecutive victories under his belt, Chantry House has to be considered a viable contender in this race. Nicky Henderson is getting a serious tune out of a seven-year-old who won the Marsh Novices’ Chase and followed this up with a triumph in the Betway Mildmay Novices’ Chase at Aintree where the 11/8 favourite recorded an astonishing victory.
Minella Indo won the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the Henry de Bromhead-trained runner clearly has the capacity to win the King George VI Chase, with the eight-year-old probably in need of the run when finishing third behind Frodon at Down Royal.
Envoi Allen could be a potential superstar and the horse was sent off as the 4/9 favourite for the Marsh Novices’ Chase before falling on that occasion. It’s possible that he could be back to his best for this clash and there was a comfortable Grade 2 win at Down Royal.
Can Clan Des Obeaux Land a Hat-Trick?
Clan Des Obeaux has only won three of his past ten encounters, although two of these successes have come in the King George VI Chase where the Paul Nicholls-trained horse landed victories in 2018 and 2019.
The 2018 victory saw the horse having a Starting Price of 12/1 on the King George VI Chase racecard, although he produced an excellent performance to see off Thistlecrack and Native River, with the horse seeming to benefit from a largely flat track to which he returned a year later to pull off another winning performance.
In 2019, the horse was sent off at odds of 9/2 although it was a stunning performance which saw Sam Twiston-Davies steer the runner to victory by an incredible 21 lengths over race favourite Cyrname, while Footpad finished third in that race.
It very much appears to be horses for courses as far as this runner is concerned, with Clan Des Obeaux only managing to finish eighth in the recent Cheltenham Gold Cup, although odds of 4/1 indicate that he could take all the beating.
Lostintranslation Second Favourite to Win King George
Perhaps the value bet is Lostintranslation considering that the horse finished an impressive third place in the 2020 Gold Cup and we’ll never know if he would have won the previous King George VI Chase if he hadn’t had a breathing problem as Colin Tizzard reported after the race.
The trainer saw his horse impress at the 2020 Cheltenham Festival and let’s not forget there was also an impressive win in last season’s Betfair Chase which indicates that we’re looking at a serial winner of races who was second behind Defi Du Seuil in the JLT Novices’ Chase at the 2019 Cheltenham Festival.
The History of the King George VI Chase
The King George VI Chase was inaugurated in 1937 and has long been part of the Christmas Festival at Kempton Park racecourse, with the race being named after the British monarch who was on the throne during its inception.
It has come to be regarded as the second most prestigious race in the UK racing calendar, with fifteen horses claiming victory on more than one occasion and it certainly panders to the type of horse that can possess speed, stamina and excellent jumping ability.
There have been some legendary winners of the King George and none more so than Desert Orchid who claimed four victories in this race, although Kauto Star has since gone one better and claimed five wins.
Paul Nicholls was the trainer of Kauto Star and he has achieved eleven different successes including See More Business in 1997 and 1999, along with Silviniaco Conti in 2013 and 2014.
King George VI Chase FAQ
The King George VI Chase is one of the highlight races on the National Hunt calendar and this traditionally takes place on 26 December or Boxing Day. This race occurs at Kempton Park Racecourse and it’s been in operation since 1937, with some of the leading three-mile chasers lining up to compete in a race which is often seen as a pre-cursor to the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
There are a number of high-profile winners of the King George and that includes Kauto Star who triumphed on five different occasions, with the Paul Nicholls-trained charge winning every race between 2006-2011 apart from 2010. Recent double winners include Clan des Obeaux, Kicking King, Long Run and Silviniaco Conti.
There are no more than twenty horses that can line up for the King George VI Chase, with the race often having a strong favourite that is trading at a short price, especially as this is a race which is won by the same horse on more than one occasion. It often comes down to the going and which horse can handle the distance and the track, with Kempton being predictably flat compared to Cheltenham.
If you want to enjoy the King George VI Chase in all its glory, we recommend visiting one of the bookies that are featured at Racing-Odds.com. You can enjoy the Bet and Watch service which means staking on a particular horse race and then getting the chance to watch the King George from start to finish, with this cheering on the horses that you have backed.
Every top bookmaker will offer horse racing odds for the big races and that includes the King George, although it’s important to compare the prices before you go ahead and place bets. You can scan through the bookies and choose the operator that has the biggest available odds, with each firm taking a different view on the race and it pays to shop around.
Every bookmaker will offer you a free bet package when you first sign up and it’s usually a case of making a first deposit and then placing a first qualifying bet with an operator. Once the bet has been settled, you can earn a free bet once the original bet has been credited. You can use this free bet for any horse race including the King George.
It’s important to use your own judgement when it comes to the King George VI Chase although you can look at the form and work out which horses have performed the best over the season so far. You can also look at previous renewals of the King George and it’s good to see which runners are most likely to get the best run at a track like Kempton.
Yes, there is the chance to bet each-way on the King George Chase although it depends on the odds of the horse you want to back. If the runner is trading at a short price, then it might be more profitable to bet on the horse to win the race. However, if you fancy the outsider to win, then an each-way bet could yield a huge return depending on the odds and the each-way terms.