King George 2015 Preview

Conti-nued Dominance? - Don't Give up on Silviniaco Conti before the King George.

This year’s King George is shaping up to be one for the ages.

If the likely protagonists all do in fact turn up at Kempton on Boxing Day we could be in for one of the best renewals in recent memory (insert your own Christmas pun here).

The common consensus at the moment seems to be that are witnessing the dawning of another era of chasing superstars. I was only just getting in to racing when Kauto Star, Denman, Master Minded et al were at their peak and it was kind of lost on me at the time just how lucky we were to have so many shining lights at the top of their game at the same time.

We’ve not exactly been starved of talent since, but the last twelve months or so has seen a huge influx of potential superstars to the chasing game and although we’ve yet to get that big showdown where all their paths cross, the King George could be just that, and as a result there is definitely some serious value in the ante-post market at present.

Festival Focus - JLT Novices' Chase 2015

Got My Vaut - If last year's Supreme winner takes his chance he'll be tough to beat in the JLT

With less than eight weeks to go now until the greatest show on turf it’s time to kick off this year’s festival focus series, and it’s the opener of Thursday’s card that has me pulling the trigger on the first ante-post advice of the year.

Rather surprisingly given how fearful the bookies usually are of the Willie Mullins battalions from a long range perspective, the horse I’m interested in here has actually lost his position at the head of the market with some firms in recent weeks.

The reason for this is two-fold, one, because as is always the case this time of year, the uncertainty over where Mullins will aim his most deadly weapons still reigns supreme and his big guns could be rerouted at any time between now and the tapes rising the second week in March, and the second is the crushing bump he took on Boxing Day in the Racing Post Novice Chase which resulted in a remarkable defeat to Clarcam.

I am of course talking about last year’s Supreme winner Vautour.