Whos in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day after 20 entries revealed?
Willie Mullins has three entries in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day headed by Gaelic Warrior.
The seven-year-old is antepost favourite for the race after a winning return in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase on Sunday where he beat stablemate Fact To File.
The JP McManus-owned runner-up has the option of Kempton as well, as does Closutton stablemate Grangeclare West, although it remains to be seen how many of those make the trip over the Irish Sea at Christmas.
Mullins isn’t the only Irish trainer with King George entries as Martin Brassil has entered John Durkan fourth Fastorslow, Gordon Elliott has three entries in Croke Park, Firefox and Found A Fifty, while Henry de Bromhead has Heart Wood.
Joseph O’Brien is targeting last year’s winner Banbridge at the race again and also has Jordans as an option.
The home team looks strong after a weekend which saw Nicky Henderson’s Jango Baie light up Ascot in the Ladbrokes 1965 Chase while Ben Pauling’s The Jukebox Man jumped well on his winning return in the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase at Haydock.
Both of those two are amongst the King George 20 at the initial entry stage along with Boombawn, Riskintheground and Panic Attack (Dan Skelton), Djelo and L’Homme Presse (Venetia Williams) and Master Chewy (Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies).
Il Est Francais, last year’s runner-up, was well beaten by Jango Baie at the weekend but he could be back for more for Tom George along with interesting French-trained challenger Kolokico for Emmanuel Clayeux.
Timeform favour Warrior’s chance
Gaelic Warrior is the 6/4 favourite generally for the King George after Sunday’s epic win over Fact To File and Timeform rate him 173 from 169 on the back of the victory.
Stablemate Fact To File is rated 174 and while he is still in the King George trips short of three miles have brought the best out of him and it remains to be seen whether he makes the trip over to Kempton.
When it comes to the best of British, Jango Baie is seriously on the up and is 167p from 158 after his Grade 2 win at the weekend, achieved over a trip of 2m5f, his finishing efforts suggesting three miles will be in his range.
The Jukebox Man has more to find as he navigates his way towards Grade 1 level in open company and is rated 159p after his Haydock win.
Irish armada to strike again?
The King George was once a safe space for British trainers when Paul Nicholls dominated the race along with a little help from Nicky Henderson and Colin Tizzard, but Irish-trained horses have won three of the last four renewals.
Last year Banbridge won the race on the back of an unconventional prep in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork and he could go the same route again, although Mullins will have the stronger hand if he opts to bring over either of Gaelic Warrior or Fact To File.
With Susannah Ricci’s Lossiemouth also pencilled in for the Christmas Hurdle on the same card it would be no surprise to see ownermate Gaelic Warrior in the feature, 10 years on from Vautour’s narrow miss in the same race in the same silks.
Fastorslow also made a pleasing comeback on Sunday, albeit in a remote third behind Gaelic Warrior, and on his best form he becomes a big player for what is shaping up to be a formidable Irish challenge.
And what about the French fancies?
Okay, Il Est Francais is officially trained in Gloucestershire now by Tom George, but he’s French in all but his current residence and he has to be considered after compiling an excellent record at Kempton on Boxing Day.
A brilliant winner of the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase two years ago, he beat all bar Banbridge with a brave effort from the front in last year’s King George and he’s still on track for Boxing Day after a limp reappearance at Ascot on Saturday.
That obviously wasn’t ideal, but it looked to be a case of being outpaced over 2m5f as first Pic D’Orhy and then Gidleigh Park set a good tempo, resulting in him being pulled up for his second successive seasonal reappearance.
The good thing is this in and out character bounced back quickly last year and making the running over three miles at Kempton looks very much his optimum scenario.
As for Kolokico, this French-trained five-year-old is an unknown quantity on British shores, but he’s a regular at the top level at Auteuil and was last seen finishing second to Toscana Du Berlais in the Grade 1 Prix la Haye Jousselin on November 16.
Gold Tweet, who is known over here after his 2023 Cleeve Hurdle win, was back in third.
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