Betting Update - King George VI Chase Odds

Run on Boxing Day each year, the King George VI Chase is only second to the Cheltenham Gold Cup as the most important weight-for-age staying chase in the jumps season.

The race has become a massive part of the festive sporting calendar with families and racegoers descending on the Sunbury-on-Thames course each year.

The meeting is the highlight of Kempton's year and after being run at Sandown last season (due to redevelopment) will return to where it's been run since 1937.

Today the race is seen as one of the main races in the National Hunt season and if like flat racing the jumps had 'Classics' this would certainly be one of them. Each year many ante-post bets are placed in the build-up to the big race and plenty more on the day.

The race is for 5-year-olds and older, run over 3 miles. Being a tight right-handed course that has a few undulations the contest often attracts a wide variety of top class chasers, with the winner and placed horses figuring prominently for the Cheltenham Gold Cup later that season.

Some of the greats that have won the famous race include Arkle, who ran his final race here, Mill House, Burrough Hill Lad, Wayward Lad and of course the four-time hero Desert Orchid.

In the last two years top Irish chaser and Gold Cup winner Kicking King has landed the event, but due to injury will not line up for his attempted hat-trick. The other trends to note include 9 of the last 10 winners all won their previous race before winning the King George, 7-year-olds hold the best recent record winning 4/10, while the market leader has won 50% of the last 10 runnings, including the last two.

This years betting sees the exciting Kauto Star as the short-priced favourite for trainer Paul Nicholls and will bid to land this en route to a crack at the Gold Cup in March.

Last Ten Winners

2005 - Kicking King 11/8 fav

2004 - Kicking King 3/1 fav

2003 - Edredon Bleu 25/1

2002 - Best Mate 11/8 fav

2001 - Florida Pearl 8/1

2000 - First Gold 5/2

1999 - See More Business 5/2 fav

1998 - Teeton Mill 7/2

1997 - See More Business 10/1

1996 - One Man 8/13 fav