King George VI Chase Betting Tips & Predictions

Betting Online Team

Horse Racing Betting Tips

5 August, 2024

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Here are our best King George VI Chase betting tips. It ranks amongst the most important days on the British sporting calendar – Boxing Day. There’s plenty for lovers of football and cricket to get tucked into; meanwhile, followers of the horse racing scene have had this date marked in their calendar since last year’s instalment.

A busier round of meetings we doubt you’ll find as folk across the country flock to the race course of their choice to enjoy an action-packed afternoon. There can be no doubts about the main attraction however. All eyes will be focussing on Kempton Park for a race that divides opinion but brings like-minded people together in mutual appreciation.

This is The 2018 King George VI Chase on 26 December. The biggest names in the game, including some of the most talented horses in National Hunt racing, line-up to lay claim to a stunning £250,000 worth of prize money; over £140,000 of that will be deposited into the bank account of connections to the winner.

Steeped in History

With a past that can be traced all the way back to the first running in 1937, it’s a Grade 1 contest steeped in history. Past winners read like a who’s who of the game; flicking through the record books, you’ll find the likes of Desert Orchid, Best Mate, Long Run and Cue Card.

No horse has a closer affiliation with the King George than the great Kauto Star; he continues as the race’s most successful runner on five titles. Kauto Star claimed his first in 2006 and had no trouble adding to that with invites to the winner’s enclosure in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. That tally will take some beating and it’ll be interesting to see if it’s ever passed by another.

Sticking with the glory days and Ruby Walsh holds the top jockey prize with five gongs; however, that is down to the success of Kauto Star who he sat on for each of his five victories. The same applies to top trainer Paul Nicholls who got five of nine titles out of Kauto; however, there were other memorable outings along the way. See More Business handed Nicholls his first two in 1997 and 1999; Silviniaco Conti added another couple back-to-back in 2013 and 2014. Now, that’s a haul we do expect to remain untouched for the foreseeable future.

A New Chapter

Heading towards race day and having taken our inspiration from the history books there’s a feeling in the air that it’s the time of a fresh face to go and make a name for themselves. Might Bite came home in front 12 months ago under the ride of Nico de Boinville for Nicky Henderson. The eventual winner scored a length from runner-up Double Shuffle when going off a 6/4 favourite, the second 50/1 with third-place finisher Tea For Two a 20/1 place.

The talented nine-year-old gelding is back for more and traders have had him at the head of their ante-post market for quite some time. Midway through December he was available at a top price 10/3 with Unibet and that has not been without its takers. Is two-in-a-row on the cards? Plenty with a shrewd eye believe so and we certainly wouldn’t be in a rush to put them off.

One thing that worries us about Might Bite, other than backing the shortest price in such a competitive race, is that he has won only once in three since last year’s success. The spare on that list was victory in the Bowl Chase at Aintree back in the spring; he won the Grade 1 race by a stunning seven lengths ahead of Bristol De Mai. Those who had him backed at 4/5 thought it value come the finishing post.

There was no such luck in his other performances. He was beaten into second by Native River in the Cheltenham Gold Cup Chase before ending fifth of five in the G1 Betfair Chase last time out, a race won by the improving Bristol De Mai. Excuses can be made for November’s disappointment; he’ll no doubt improve for the run, but we can’t back him at the odds offered.