Run over three-miles, the King George is renowned for being one of the most prestigious jump racing prizes of the campaign and frequently acts as the leading trial for the Cheltenham Gold Cup raced in March. Britain and Ireland’s leading steeplechasers routinely collide for the first time each season in Kempton’s Grade One highlight as the division seeks to position itself ahead of the Cheltenham Festival in the spring.
Founded in 1937 in honour of a new British monarch, the King George VI Chase offers a unique test to the National Hunt chaser. A total of eighteen fences on Kempton’s right-handed track ensures it is a real test of stamina, speed and jumping. The flat nature of the course can be deceiving to some connections with many claiming the emphasis of the King George is placed more on pace than the ability to see out the trip.
Previous winners of the great Boxing Day showpiece include Kauto Star, Desert Orchid and Wayward Lad, three of the greatest horses in National Hunt history. The Paul Nicholls-trained Kauto Star went on to win the King George on five separate occasions in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. It was a feat regarded as amongst the best in the sport’s history and produced scenes of great jubilation at the Middlesex track across a six year spell.