Festive fireworks? Conditions set fair at Kempton

Conditions at Kempton Park ahead of the Ladbrokes King George meeting are set fair, with good to soft ground a distinct possibility next week.

With the Christmas Hurdle seemingly the target for Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth and a wide-open King George with Grey Dawning, Corbetts Cross and Il Est Francais engaged, a Boxing Day treat looks in store.

The races could change complexion again at Friday’s supplementary stage, but clerk of the course Barney Clifford is happy with how things look currently.

He said: “We’re good to soft at the minute, we had 1mm overnight and we’re due to get anything up to 10mm tonight which will ease it slightly, but there’s not an awful lot more rain around after that.

“If I had to forecast a going report at this stage I’d say we’d be good to soft, but it depends what happens tonight.

“We raced on the November 21 and we had an inch of rain in an hour the day after and we were unraceable for the next couple of days because it was just sat on the track, so it hasn’t been really drying weather.

“The races are shaping up great and we’ll see if there are any supplementary entries on Friday, but it’s a bit early to say as you only have to mention a horse and something goes wrong.”