King George VI Chase and Christmas Hurdle: racing from Kempton – live

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Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novice Chase (Kempton, 1.20pm)And they’re off … Kitzbuhel jumps the first two fences well and has the lead early from Thomas Mor … Salver has not been jumping well … Blueking D’Oroux has made ground into second spot behind the long-time leader … Crest Of Fortune makes a mistake … Kitzbuhel leads with a circuit to go and Wendigo is last … the leader continues to jump well … a bd has the leas as they turn for home … he has them all in trouble now … and jumps well in the final fences … he is clear at the last and Kitzbuhel is clear for a good win.

Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novice Chase (Kempton, 1.20pm) betting

• Kitzbuhel – 15/8

• Wendigo – 5/2

• Salver – 7/2

• Crest Of Fortune – 14/1

• Blueking Doroux – 14/1

• Thomas Mor – 16/1

• Full betting here via Oddschecker

Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novice Chase (Kempton, 1.20pm) preview

The novice version of the King George – the last two winners, The Jukebox Man and Il Est Francais, are both in the field for the big one at 2.30 – and also one of a handful of Grade One races in Britain that Willie Mullins has yet to win. That is mainly because he tends to target the Leopardstown Christmas Festival with his novices and then unleash them at Cheltenham in March, but he has a live runner this year in Kitzbuhel, the comfortable winner of his only start so far over fences. The five-year-old is the likely favourite here but his debut was over two miles and three furlongs, and he raced very freely and failed to get home in his only start over three miles over timber. That leaves enough of a gap in his form to give his rivals hope, and Wendigo (Jamie Snowden) and Salver (Gary & Josh Moore) both arrive with serious claims. Salver is proved at the trip whereas Wendigo is stepping up to three miles over fences for the first time, but he ran a close fifth in the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham in March and I fancy this step up in trip will see significant improvement.

SELECTION: WENDIGO

Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase (Wetherby 1.35pm) betting

• Kitzbuhel – 15/8

• Wendigo – 5/2

• Salver – 7/2

• Crest Of Fortune – 14/1

• Blueking Doroux – 14/1

• Thomas Mor – 16/1

• Full betting via Oddschecker

Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase (Wetherby 1.35pm) preview

The feature event of Wetherby’s Christmas programme and a race that has, in the past, regularly attracted double-figure fields but it has been on a downward trajectory in recent seasons and this four-runner renewal – following the scratching of Our Power – is, to be frank, a fresh low. It features a very promising and upwardly-mobile favourite, though, in Konfusion, who is unbeaten at the track and came home 15 lengths in front of a decent field for the Rehearsal Chase at Newbury last time. Knappers Hill and Marble Sands, at around 9-2, would both be fair rivals for the favourite at their best and live each-way chances too, but with just four runners, that’s no longer an option for punters.

SELECTION: KONFUSION

Formby Hurdle (Aintree 1.05pm) result

1 Idaho Sun (Bryan Carver) 3-1
2 Mydaddypaddy (Harry Skelton) 8-13 Fav
3 The Last Cloud (B S Hughes) 18-1
6 ran
Non Runners: 1,8

Formby Hurdle (Aintree 1.05pm) betting

• Mydaddypaddy – 4/7

• Idaho Sun – 7/2

• Storming George – 10/1

• Starmount – 12/1

• Glance At Midnight – 25/1

• The Last Cloud – 40/1

• Diamond Hunter – NR

• Wahraan - NR

• Full betting here via Oddschecker

Formby Hurdle (Aintree 1.05pm) preview

It is a very long time since a British-trained horse – or, for that matter, a horse trained by someone other than Willie Mullins – has been the ante-post favourite for the Supreme Novice Hurdle, but that is the position in which Dan Skelton’s Mydaddypaddy finds himself ahead of the Grade One feature of Aintree’s Boxing Day card. The four-year-old has been absolutely flawless in his three starts to date, including two novice hurdles so far this season, and his seven-length win at Haydock last time – albeit in a three-runner race – was a sight to behold. He will set off as a short-priced favourite here and while Harry Fry’s Idaho Sun, the second-favourite, is also unbeaten over hurdles, it will be a major disappointment if Mydaddypaddy fails to land the odds.

SELECTION: MYDADDYPADDY

Ladbrokes Novice Handicap Chase (Kempton, 12.45pm) result

1 Barlovento (S Bowen) 4-1
2 Tapley (Charlie Deutsch) 22-1
3 Jasmine Bliss (Paul O’Brien) 22-1
10 ran

Racegoers in festive dress during day one of the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival at Kempton Park. Photograph: Steven Paston for The Jockey Club/PA

Ladbrokes Novice Handicap Chase (Kempton, 12.45pm)

And they’re off … Krak and Epic West are up in the lead and the fancied U Cant Be Serious has not made the most promising start, being pushed along at times in the early stages … now Tapley has taken up the running with a full circuit to go … Jasmine Bliss has made good ground to join the leader and U Cant Be Serious has dropped back a place or two … a mistake by Lumi Plugin … Tapley leads into the home straight with Barlovento challenging … Barlovento jumps the last in the lead and is all out to win from Tapley!

Ladbrokes Novice Handicap Chase (Kempton, 12.45pm) betting

• Noble Park – 7/4

• Barlovento – 6/1

• U Cant Be Serious – 13/2

• Queensbury Boy – 8/1

• Epic West – 9/1

• Secret Des Dieux – 9/1

• Tapley – 18/1

• Jasmine Bliss – 18/1

• Krak – 28/1

• Lumi Plugin – 33/1

• Full betting here via Oddschecker

Good to see the jockeys up and OK after what looked a worrying incident at Fontwell …

Ladbrokes Novice Handicap Chase (Kempton, 12.45pm) preview

A warmish favourite for the opener here given that is it a novice handicap chase, but Noble Park was undeniably impressive when galloping 24 lengths clear of his field in a similar contest at Lingfield last time. The handicapper has reacted with an 11lb hike in the weights, however, and given that he is currently priced up at around 7-4, that’s more than enough to make me feel as though a decent each-way alternative may be lurking further down the list. U Cant Be Serious, the narrow winner of his two starts over fences thus far, is certainly a candidate, but personally I’ll be chancing my arm with James Owen’s Secret Des Dieux, who was staying on well at the end of his last start over two miles and looks certain to improve for this step up to an intermediate trip.

SELECTION: SECRET DES DIEUX

Great photo of the action at Huntingdon this week. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

Kempton 12.45: Queensbury Boy – 8/1 from 11/1

Kempton 15.05: Klub De Reve – 7/4 from 3/1

Kempton 15.40: George’s Boy – 6/1 from 17/2

Harry Redknapp (right), who owns King George fancy The Jukebox Man, speaks with former football player Emmanuel Petit on King George VI Chase Day at Kempton last year. Photograph: Steven Paston for The Jockey Club/PA

Hello. Good morning. Feeling well, or at least better than I do anyway? I was OK in the pub at lunchtime yesterday … and had just two pints of London Pride and left early as I was cooking. But it was the champers; the vino and the opiudding wine along with the gargantuan lunch that did for me. Memo to self for 2026 – pace yourself on Christmas day afternoon! Well, it’s going to be a whirlwind with eight meetings in the UK and three in Ireland to keep across. They’ve already started running at Down Royal and Sedgefield. We’ll have previews and the betting for the TV races and any news that breaks. Please stay tuned and do join in with any comments on this busy and exciting day’s racing.

Jockeys being trolled as they pass the food trucks on their way to the parade ring at Huntingdon this week. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

Preamble

Good morning from a chilly Sunbury-on-Thames, where what may well turn out to be one of the last runnings of the King George VI Chase at its historic and traditional home at Kempton Park is due off at 2.30pm this afternoon.

And if this is indeed the first act of the King George’s Kempton swansong, it is certainly going out in style.

This year’s race was being talked up as one of the best for years even when it seemed likely that Willie Mullins would send either Gaelic Warrior or Fact To File over to Kempton. As it has turned out, he’s sent them both, and they will face, among others, two top-drawer British-trained second-season chasers in The Jukebox Man – in the colours of Harry Redknapp, no less – and Jango Baie.

Last year’s winner, Banbridge, is a 14-1 shot, which tells its own tale, while another previous Grade One winner here over the King George trip, Il Est Francais, is 20-1. The young and improving Djelo is 14-1 to follow up his win in the Peterbrough Chase at Huntingdon earlier this month and Master Chewy, at 100-1, is the only runner in the eight-strong field with no realistic chance at their best.

The Grinch turned up last year on Boxing Day at Kempton and posed for a picture with some racegoers. Photograph: Steven Paston for The Jockey Club/PA

The supporting card is fairly tasty too, with the unbeaten Sir Gino reverting to hurdles in place of his resting stable companion, Constitution Hill, in the Christmas Hurdle at 1.55pm.

Kempton is always bursting at the seams for its biggest day of the year and the fact that there is no Premier League football this afternoon has probably added a good few hundred to the attendance too.

So if you’re not on the way here already, it’s probably too late, but the good news is that you will, as always, be able to follow all the action from the comfort of your sofa here on the Guardian’s live blog. Some picks for the ITV card are here – with the usual caveats about investments going down as well as up – and the action is underway at 12.45pm.