Ante-Post

Published 7/10/26

The King George VI Chase is a good one for race specialists which makes BANBRIDGE overpriced in my book for this season’s renewal.

Joseph O’Brien’s ten-year-old has more miles on the clock than those at the top end of the market but, with the staking strategy I’m employing, another frame finish would ensure money-back at least from these four bets overall.

Banbridge simply loves it round Kempton Park, where he gets his favoured goodish ground, his record at the track reading 112, including victory in the 2024 renewal and a nose second to The Jukebox Man last year.

In the latter he was fractionally ahead of subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Gaelic Warrior, who heads the betting here at a top-priced 11-4, whereas the selection is widely available at 20-1 (and 25-1 in a place).

Unlike Willie Mullins’s star, this will presumably be his main target again and, having confirmed his wellbeing by scoring on belated Flat debut in September, his age would not put me off one iota given all-time greats Desert Orchid and Kauto Star gained the last of their multi wins aged 11, while another Boxing Day legend Wayward Lad bagged his third title as a ten-year-old.

JANGO BAIE, the other horse involved in last year’s four-way blanket finish, won’t make the King George due to a setback according to Nicky Henderson, yet despite the risk attached, he’s my fancy at the prices to avenge his defeat by Gaelic Warrior in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

He put up a stayer’s performance to win the Arkle from an unlikely looking position and progressed with each step up in trip last season before finishing the campaign on a high with a bloodless victory at Aintree.

Although no match for Gaelic Warrior in the last couple of furlongs, he has age on his side, being a year younger and a fair bit less experienced than the winner, so may have the greater scope for improvement.

There’s nobody better than Henderson at getting a sidelined horse to meet its Festival target, so fingers crossed he can work his magic again and have him back in tip-top shape for mid-March.

You invariably need to stay well to win an Arkle Chase, as Jango Baie demonstrated two seasons ago, and with that in mind, SOBER GLORY looks a prime candidate for the latest renewal.

The six-year-old, trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White, went down on his shield when second to Old Park Star in a strong-looking Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, not helped by a mistake at the last which was out of keeping with the way he had jumped up to that point. 

Both he and the winner are reportedly going straight over fences and while Old Park Star is an obvious favourite for the Arkle based on that result, I like that Sober Glory is from the family of Fingal Bay, a high-class three-mile hurdler who won a Pertemps Final under top-weight for the Hobbs yard.

With the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle one-two going down a different route, the path is clear for close third MYDADDYPADDY to emerge as a serious Champion Hurdle contender.

Dan Skelton’s five-year-old came off worst in a barging match with a pair of older horses on the run-in that day and remains open to plenty of improvement after just five career starts (including one in a bumper). His dam had classy form on the Flat and over jumps, offering further encouragement on the pedigree front.