The King George VI Chase Day is the name given to the first day of The Christmas Festival every year, which takes place on Boxing Day at Kempton Park Racecourse.
The King George VI Chase itself is the feature race of not only Day One, but of the entire Christmas Festival. However, there are plenty more prestigious, high-value races that take place on this magnificent occasion, including The Christmas Hurdle, The Kauto Star Novices’ Chase and The Desert Orchid Chase.
Here’s the rundown of the races that will take place at the next edition of King George VI Chase Day on Sunday the 26th of December 2021.
Novices’ Hurdle (GBB Race)
The first race of King George VI Chase Day at Kempton Park Racecourse for The Christmas Festival is The Novices’ Hurdle Race, which will begin at around 12:40.
Open to horses aged four years old and above, The Novices’ Hurdle Race is a Class 2 National Hunt Great British Breeders Fund hurdle race for novices that runs precisely 2 miles of Kempton Park Racecourse.
A prize pool worth £16,000 was on offer last Boxing Day, which was split proportionately between the first four horses to successfully pass the final post. Here’s how much was assigned to each placement position:
1st place – 11/10 Third Time Lucki (IRE) – £10,010
2nd place – 3/1 Flic Ou Voyou (FR) – £2,957
3rd place – 10/1 Severance (GB) – £1,478
4th place – 100/1 Il Re Di Nessuno (FR) – £739
Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase (GBB Race)
The second race that takes place on King George VI Chase Day at Kempton Park Racecourse for The Christmas Festival is usually The Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, commencing at approximately 13:15.
Horses aged four years old and above can participate in The Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, which is a Class 3 National Hunt Great British Breeders Fund handicap steeplechase that runs 2 miles, 4 furlongs and 110 yards of Kempton Park Racecourse.
£17,900 was up for grabs last time out, which was shared between the first four race finishers in the following fashion:
1st place – 9/2 Killer Clown (IRE) – £10,722
2nd place – 7/1 Falco Blitz (IRE) – £3,148
3rd place – 13/2 Son Of Camas (FR) – £1,574
4th place – 10/1 Mr One More (IRE) – £787
Kauto Star Novices’ Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race)
The Kauto Star Novices’ Chase serves as the third race of Day One, King George VI Chase Day, for The Christmas Festival every year at Kempton Park Racecourse, starting at around 13:50.
Open to horses aged four years old and above, The Kauto Star Novices’ Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt Great British Breeders Fund steeplechase for novices that runs exactly 3 miles of Kempton Park Racecourse.
The runners in this excellent race fought for a share of a generous £80,000 purse last Christmas, which was split accordingly between the winning horse and three placing competitors:
1st place – 7/4 Shan Blue (IRE) – £45,560
2nd place – 16/5 The Big Breakaway (IRE) – £17,096
3rd place – 4/1 If The Cap Fits (IRE) – £8,560
4th place – 40/1 Golan Fortune (IRE) – £4,264
Christmas Hurdle (Grade 1) (GBB Race)
The fourth race of King George VI Chase Day at Kempton Park Racecourse for The Christmas Festival is The Christmas Hurdle Race, which will begin at around 14:25.
The Christmas Hurdle is a Grade 1 National Hunt Great British Breeders Fund hurdle race that is open to horses aged four years old and above and runs 2 miles of Kempton Park Racecourse.
A mighty prize pot of £105,000 was on offer in The Christmas Hurdle Race last time out, which was shared between the runners that finished in first, second, third and fourth:
1st place – 13/2 Silver Streak (IRE) – £59,798
2nd place – 1/5 Epatante (FR) – £22,438
3rd place – 16/1 Ballyandy (GB) – £11,235
4th place – 22/1 Floressa (FR) – £5,596
King George VI Chase (Grade 1) (GBB Race)
The fifth, featured and penultimate race of King George VI Chase Day at Kempton Park Racecourse for The Christmas Festival is, of course, The King George VI Chase, commencing at around 15:00.
This high-value race that is open to horses aged four years old and up is a Grade 1 National Hunt Great British Breeders Fund steeplechase that runs precisely 3 miles of Kempton Park Racecourse.
Last time out, £204,000 was added to the race purse, which was to be shared between the first four finishers of the race. The following is the amounts allocated to each placement position:
1st place – 20/1 Frodon (FR) – £116,178
2nd place – 12/1 Waiting Patiently (IRE) – £43,595
3rd place – 85/40 Clan Des Obeaux (FR) – £21,828
4th place – 14/1 Saint Calvados (FR) – £10,873
Handicap Hurdle
The sixth and final race that takes place at Kempton Park Racecourse for King George VI Chase Day during The Christmas Festival is The Handicap Hurdle Race, concluding the day’s action at approximately 15:35.
Open to horses aged as young as three years old and above, The Handicap Hurdle Race is a Class 3 National Hunt handicap hurdle race that runs just 2 miles of Kempton Park Racecourse.
The prize pot for this race is usually around £16,400, which is split between the four horses that are first to cross the finish line. Here’s how that purse was shared last time out:
1st place – 25/1 Monte Cristo (FR) – £9,747
2nd place – 6/1 Ecco (GB) – £2,862
3rd place – 7/1 Riggs (IRE) – £1,431
4th place – 16/1 Top Man (IRE) – £716
News
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Odds
The races that feature on the fixture list of King George VI Chase Day for The Christmas festival always prove worthy of placing a bet or two.
The highest odds seen on Day One of The Christmas Festival at Kempton Park Racecourse last December were 100/1 on Il Re Di Nessuno in The Novices’ Hurdle Race – an incredible price for a runner in a six-horse jump race.
The biggest upset last time out was in the final race of the day, The Handicap Hurdle Race, when 25/1 priced outsider Monte Cristo finished in first place, converting £10 outright backing stakes into £260 in returns, £250 in profits.
