Ladbrokes King George VI Chase: runner-by-runner guide

The final field for the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day provides the kind of selection box that has us all salivating.

All bar two of the nine runners boast at least one Grade One triumph, with two previous winners of the King George joined by a Cheltenham Gold Cup hero, plus a Betfair Chase victor and much more. There's not a soft centre in sight.

Clerk of the course Barney Clifford said on Wednesday that there could be 15mm of rain at the track between now and the race, but added that it “would be needed”. He expects the going to be good to soft, so there should be no excuses for anyone on that score.

Our build-up to a fabulous day’s action begins with Mark Your Card, which is free to view on Sky Channel 426 from 11.15am. And, remember, if you want to watch the action and reaction from Kempton, and nowhere else, then you can use for Racing TV Extra for a dedicated service.

Here’s a guide to all the big-race runners.

Trainer: Willie Mullins. Timeform rating: 176+. Ladbrokes odds: 11-2.

Positives: The grey was a Grade One winner as a hurdler and capped his novice campaign over fences with a runaway handicap success at the Punchestown Festival off a mark of 152. Looked like picking up from where he left off on his return in a deep renewal of the John Durkan Chase this month, only to unseat his rider three out when travelling best. Has more to offer, seems versatile regards the ground and right-hand tracks like Kempton bring out the best in him. Stable now firing on all cylinders, with 11 of past 21 runners being winners.

Negatives: His form in graded races over fences read FF433U and that tells its own tale, with jumping errors not helping him fulfil his potential. He won’t be able to afford any lapses in concentration in this company, plus the trip is a question mark as he’s unproven beyond 2m 5f.

Verdict: Has a big engine but doubts over his jumping and stamina make him opposable.

Trainer: Nicky Henderson. Timeform rating: 178. Odds: 9-2.

Positives: He’s won eight of his ten races and had an ideal warm-up for this assignment when beating one other rival at Sandown last month. The form of his Grade One wins at Cheltenham and Aintree in the spring has worked out well (had Asterion Forlonges behind on the first occasion and thumped Shan Blue on the second) plus he’s a fluent jumper proven over the trip and on a range of ground.

Negatives: There’s still a sense of him being in the right place at the right time in his races, with the handicapper rating him 13lb inferior to Minella Indo. That suggests he needs to find a chunk of improvement and this will undoubtedly be the deepest race he has contested.

Verdict: Plenty to like but will need to take his form to the next level to win a hot renewal.

Trainer: Paul Nicholls. Timeform rating: 181. Odds: 11-4.

Positives: The winner of this in 2018 (pulled clear with Thistlecrack) and 2019 (by 21 lengths). Kept on when third in last year’s renewal and, equipped with cheekpieces, was back in peak form in the spring when winning at Aintree (by 26 lengths) and Punchestown (fended off Al Boum Photo). He’s officially rated superior to everything in the race other than Minella Indo and, unlike that rival, has shown his prowess here. Can go well fresh and deliberately makes his reappearance here, with Paul Nicholls seeking a thirteenth win in the feature.

Negatives: The decision to run here without a run beforehand is something of a gamble – and perhaps says something about his nature – plus he was laboured in last year’s renewal, when plugging on for as place. Headgear helped rev him up in the latter part of the season but it remains to be seen how long that will help him.

Verdict: A class act who will make a bold bid to regain his crown if at his best.

Trainer: Paul Nicholls. Timeform rating: 177. Odds: 9-2.

Positives: Typically game when making all in last year’s renewal and beat some of Ireland’s top staying chasers, including Minella Indo, in their own backyard on his return at Down Royal. Fine jumper who seems effective on any ground, and this is a race that horses often win more than once. Blessed with a great attitude and 18 career victories testament to his will to win.

Negatives: Was allowed to set fairly steady fractions 12 months ago and his task was made easier by Clan Des Obeaux and Cyrname not being at their best. Similarly, he got a canny ride – and might have been fitter than a couple of his rivals - when scoring at Down Royal in October. It’s difficult to believe he will get such an uncontested lead and he’s also inclined to jump left and

Verdict: Will not go down without a fight but others are preferred.

Trainer: Colin Tizzard. Timeform rating: 175. Odds: 9-1.

Positives: He was a top novice hurdler/chaser and came of age in the 2019/20 season when winning the Betfair Chase and finishing a close third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Put the disappointments of last term behind him when winning a Grade Two contest at Ascot on his return last month, despite the 2m 5f trip looking on the sharp side for him. The return to 3m will suit and he seems well-served by good to soft ground, which looks on the cards.

Negatives: Three beathing operations tell their own story and his travails of last term included a second disappointing run in this race (pulled up in the past two renewals). His comeback win was good to see but the conditions of the race did suit him, with the pair who chased him home both having to concede 6lb. His rating of 160 remains 13lb below his peak, plus his stable have not had a winner for three weeks, having 34 runners in that time.

Verdict: Still has plenty to prove on his return to deeper waters.

Trainer: Henry De Bromhead. Timeform rating: 186. Odds: 11-4.

Positives: Won the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle in 2019 on only his third start over jumps and, switched to fences the next season, split Champ and Allaho in that unforgettable Brown Advisory Chase back at Cheltenham. He went to the next level last term with his tenacious victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup – at the main expense of A Plus Tard (easy winner of the Betfair Chase this season) and Al Boum Photo (seeking a third successive win in the race) – and his encouraging comeback run at Down Royal should have helped put him spot-on for this assignment. He’s got the best overall form, seems versatile regards ground/tactics and first-time cheekpieces may add an extra edge.

Negatives: By his trainer’s admission, “he comes alive at Cheltenham”. So will flat, right-handed and relatively sharp Kempton be so stimulating for him? Perhaps that's why he's being equipped with first-time headgear; connections perhaps hoping prenetion is better than cure. Finding other potential chinks in his armour is not easy, although he fell at Leopardstown last Christmas and was hesitant over his obstacles on his next start.

Verdict: Top-class staying chaser and difficult to envisage anything but a bold display

Trainer: Nicky Henderson. Timeform rating: 176. Odds: 33-1.

Positives: Smart novice the season before last, and his efforts last term included a win in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon plus, when last seen, a neck defeat at the hands of Frodon in the Oaksey Chase at Sandown. Unexposed over 3m – unseated rider at Aintree when tried over the trip in April – and his trainer is unperturbed by his lack of a recent run because he’s apparently a clean-winded horse who has been working zestfully at home.

Negatives: Was found to have a fibrillating heart a couple of months ago and that has led to a course of treatment and his reappearance being delayed. He’s been beaten first time up in each of the last three seasons, plus has failed to complete in three of his past five races. Chantry House is regarded as the stable’s No 1 hope.

Verdict: Has hardly had an ideal prep and finds himself in a deep renewal.

Trainer: Paul Nicholls. Timeform rating: 177. Odds: 14-1.

Positives: Looked a bit unlucky not to win the 2020 Ryanair Chase when he split Min and A Plus Tard, and had Frodon well adrift in fourth. Was then absent almost ten months before finishing fourth in last year’s King George, looking a possible winner turning for home before fading late on. Has run only once since (going fine when unseating rider) but he goes well fresh and has moved to the yard of Paul Nicholls, who knows a thing or two about winning this prize! Nicholls said on Wednesday that he and his team have worked hard on Saint Calvados’s jumping, and that “he could not have had a better prep”.

Negatives: He can race quite freely and has done all his winning over 2m. He clearly stays 2m5f, but the King George trip looked a possible issue for him 12 months ago when he traded at 2-1 in-running but ended up out of the frame. Even if he does get home, this looks a stronger renewal.

Verdict: The trip is a niggle but that is offset by his odds. He’s a big price given all the ability he has.

Trainer: Willie Mullins. Timeform rating: 173. Odds: 20-1.

Positives: Grade One-winning bumper who has also made the frame in top-level races over hurdles and fences. Finished a staying-on third in the Ryanair Chase last season, and ran creditably in the John Durkan Chase on his return this month after going close in that race a year earlier. Has done most of his racing over shorter and could have some untapped potential up in trip. Yard in hot form.

Negatives: It’s been two years since he last got his head in front and his previous nine runs in Grade One races over jumps have all ended in defeat. The trip is a question mark, while the handicapper reckons he has got a stone to find with Minella Indo.

Verdict: Easy enough to look elsewhere

It’s not difficult to understand why Clan Des Obeaux and Minella Indo head the betting but, at the prices, it may be worth risking SAINT CALVADOS. He hinted last year that he had what it takes to win the race, and if the move to Paul Nicholls is unlikely to have harmed his chances. If he settles early and gets in a rhythm, then he could be in business.

1 SAINT CALVADOS. 2. CLAN DES OBEAUX. 3 MINELLA INDO