Although the meeting is now known as the William Hill Winter Festival, most racing enthusiast would know the meeting under its name of the King George meeting taking his name from the Grade One Chase which is the highlight of the day, but the other five races on the card on Day One are also worth taking a note of especially with an eye to the future.
The Boxing Day card kicks off with what usually proves to be a top-class novice hurdle and several very decent prospects have won this on their way to better things the 2009 winner Menorah winning here before taking the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival. Both Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson have entries this year and it promises to be a competitive opener at 12.50.
The Handicap Chase which follows has seen the aforementioned Nicky Henderson take three of the last four runnings and he has six entries this year, his selected of those should be closely watched in this event. The Feltham Novices’ Chase is often a pointer to races later in the season and with Bobs Worth, Grands Crus and Silviniaco Conti all set to take their chance this has the look of a must see novices’ chase.
Prior to the main event of the day the King George VI Chase we have the other Grade One and highlight on the card the Christmas Hurdle with last year’s winner and former Champion Hurdle winner Binocular back to defend his crown. He’ll have opposition this time from Overturn who beat him last time out and new kid on the block Rock On Ruby who destroyed a field of good novices at Newbury to catapult himself into the Champion Hurdle betting and this will provide and acid test of whether Rock On Ruby is god enough for that company. People looking at the King George chase betting should bear this in mind.
The King George VI Chase follows at 3.10 and for many this will be all about the head-to head between old rivals Kauto Star and Long Run, but don’t forget Master Minded and Captain Chris who add extra spice to this Boxing Day treat. Those looking at the King George VI chase betting should remember this.
Day One is rounded off by a competitive handicap hurdle run over 2M 5F where once again it’s that man Henderson who has produced four of the last nine winners although he did allow Welsh trainer Peter Bowen back-to-back successes in 2003 and 2004.Henderson has a team of four entered this time around to choose from.
Six competitive races on Day One of the 2011 King George Meeting and Nicky Henderson has a strong hand in all of them and could well come away with plenty of the big prizes.