In this article, I’ve taken a look at the King George VI Chase, which is my personal favourite in a packed Boxing Day schedule of horse racing. I think this race has it all - it’s a Stayers’ Chase, but the speed and jumping ability required at Kempton just take it to another level. If you ask people about their favourite Chase, most would say the Grand National or the Cheltenham Gold Cup, but for me, the King George VI Chase deserves to be in the same conversation.
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Let’s take a look at the King George VI Chase legends!
As mentioned already, the King George VI Chase is a personal favourite of mine, and as I typed this article, numerous performances came flooding back into my head. Here, I’m looking back over the last 25 renewals and discussing the best performances I’ve seen during that time. Sadly, I will only be picking out three, so some great performers like Thistlecrack, Bravemansgame, and two-time winner Clan Des Obeaux have failed to make the cut. However, I couldn’t resist giving them a mention in this introduction!
Cue Card’s almighty clash with Vautour in 2015 - RPR of 180
Coming in at number three is Cue Card’s victory in 2015. This renewal of the King George VI Chase was stacked full of talent, with Don Cossack sent off as the 15/8 favourite, at 3/1 Vautour was the second favourite, with Cue Card priced at 9/2. The race also featured National Hunt legends like Al Ferof, Smad Place, and Silviniaco Conti.
Silviniaco Conti led the field at a ferocious pace. However, Vautour took control of the race at the 11th, and was going best from four out. Turning for home, Vautour looked to have the race in his grasp, but Paddy Brennan was going through the gears on Cue Card, and so was Bryan Cooper aboard Don Cossack.
At two out, Vautour led by two lengths, and Don Cossack dramatically came down! Ruby Walsh started to ride Vautour approaching the last, where he led by a length, but with every stride, Cue Card was closing on him. The pair had a great battle from the last to the line, with Cue Card and Paddy Brennan just getting up by a head at the line. What a thriller of a race that was!
Long Run’s dominant display in 2010 (2011) - RPR of 181
The number two spot goes to Long Run for his comfortable victory in the 2010 renewal. The race was actually run in January 2011, due to a combination of frost and snow which prevented it from taking place on Boxing Day. Initially, it was rescheduled for 27 December instead, but the weather was unrelenting.
This renewal saw Kauto Star, Albertas Run, Forpadydeplasterer and The Nightingale in the nine-runner lineup. Under Sam Waley-Cohen, who was riding in his father’s colours, Long Run tracked the leaders throughout the race. As they turned for home, he still had a length to find, but had made it up by the time they reached the third last, where he took the lead. The closer to the finish they got, the more Long Run’s lead increased, and uUltimately, he powered up the run in to win by 12 lengths.
Racing fans had waited three weeks for the King George VI Chase to happen, but it was worth the wait and a new champion was crowned after a stunning performance. The mighty Kauto Star looked held when he blundered badly two out, and he was found to have bled from the nose after the race. That left Riverside Theatre to follow Long Run home, providing a 1-2 for Nicky Henderson.
When it comes to the King George VI Chase, there can only be one horse on the top spot, which is Kauto Star of course. He won the King George a record five times in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011. Kauto Star was trained by Paul Nicholls, who is the leading trainer for the race with 13 wins in total, 40% of which were courtesy of Kauto Star!
While every King George win is special, the performance Kauto Star put on in the 2009 renewal was nothing short of magnificent. Horses like Madison Du Berlais, Imperial Commander, Albertas Run, and Deep Purple lined up to oppose him, but Kaurto Star jumped superbly that day, and he was simply untouchable. He progressed into second place at the 12th, moving clear of the rest with Nacarat, who made the running. Kauto Star headed Nacarat on the long run to the third last, and from there he just forged ahead, extending his lead with every stride all the way to the line.
The winning distance recorded was an unbelievable 36 lengths, and that victory gave him his fourth straight win in the race. To win any race by 36 lengths is impressive, but to win a King George VI Chase in such style is absolutely frightening. The commentary after his win says it far better than I could -
“It’s hard to imagine how any horse, I don’t care what they go on about figures in the past, how any horse would have beat him today. He was as near to perfection
as I think I
can remember seeing in a top race”. Kauto star was awarded a RPR of 191 for that 2009 performance, and the handicapper subsequently raised him from a mark of 186 to 193. Simply an incredible performance that’s unlikely to get topped any time soon.
Final thoughts on the King George VI Chase
Looking back at the last 25 years of King George VI Chase winners has been an absolute pleasure. This race really is one of the highlights of the National Hunt season for me, and I’ve seen many phenomenal performances over the years. Every performance has showcased incredible speed, stamina and jumping ability, but the icing on the cake has to be the mighty Kauto Star.
I hope you have enjoyed this trip down memory lane as much as me, and hopefully we will have many more noteworthy King George VI Chase performances to discuss in the future!
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