Losing Appeal: Can the King George VI Chase Recapture the Magic?
A penny for the thoughts of the head honchos of British jumps racing in the last few weeks. In recent months and, indeed, years, British national hunt racing has been smarting from the drubbings from Irish trainers, most notably Willie Mullins, throughout the season’s most important meetings. Mullins, in fact, is the current British champion trainer despite not fully focusing on events over here. You’d expect there to be some mixed feelings when Mullins announced he was pulling all his runners from the winter’s most prestigious event, the King George VI Chase.
Mullins’ announcement was not altogether shocking, as the Closutton trainer tends to have plenty of business at home over the Christmas period. Yet, it wreaked havoc on the horse racing betting markets for the feature race at Kempton Park on Boxing Day. Both Gaelic Warrior and two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs were at the top of the market. The former, in particular, had been picked out as a potential King George winner back in the spring.
Mullins’ withdrawals leaves open field for King George
Right now, Grey Dawning, Corbetts Cross, Envoi Allen and L’Homme Presse lead the betting for the King George. They are all high-quality horses, yet they lack the star power of Mullins’ charges. It is arguably characteristic of a wider decline in big names aiming for this once-unmissable event over recent years. The King George has traditionally been seen as the second-most prestigious long-distance chase in Britain, coming just behind the Cheltenham Gold Cup. In fact, the two races used to complement each other, as it was seen as a major coup to win both races in a calendar year.
Indeed, you just need to look back at some of the winners of the King George in the not-so-distant past: Wayward Lad, Desert Orchid, Arkle, Best Mate, Long Run and Kauto Star – all jumps racing royalty. The latter pair’s battles made the event box-office viewing in the 2000s and early 2010s. Yet, since then, the field feels like it has gradually weakened. Long Run was the last horse to win the Gold Cup and King George in the same season (2010/2011). It used to be quite common for Gold Cup winners to win the King George and vice versa, but now the fields tend to look markedly different, with much more focus going on Cheltenham’s signature race.
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Boxing Day races are big business across the country
We can, of course, offer some opinions as to why there is a decline in the King George. Christmas racing is huge business, and many programs have been extended across the UK and Ireland. It is, in fact, the biggest race day of the year in terms of the number of meetings. Money has been spent to turn owners’ heads in other courses across the British Isles, so Kempton Park has a lot to compete with. Moreover, there is also the simple fact that all roads lead to Cheltenham in jumps racing these days, whether we like it or not. Owners tend to make decisions based on how they can best prepare for the big week in March. And if it means missing the King George, so be it.
In saying all of this, the King George is still one of the great historic races. It’s a Grade 1 affair that remains capable of lighting up a cold and dreary December afternoon. The 2024 event might lack a little bit of the star power of previous years, but it is also a chance for some horses and trainers to forge a reputation. The King George VI Chase and the traditional Kempton Boxing Day races must exist in a new reality where there is competition for the attention of horse racing fans and the wider public, yet it’s still a jewel on the British sports calendar, one that can still throw up a bit of magic.