Of the hundreds of races on offer, we’ve stuck to just three
The busiest day of the racing year is a real trial for any fan. It is impossible to watch every race and if you have even a passing interest in football or rugby then your day will be filled with other distractions too.
If you only have time for three, here are the races we will be putting down the turkey sandwiches for.
First up is the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton (2.35). At the time of writing, seven are declared for the 2m, Grade 1 race and while it has been a while since a winner of this has gone on to claim the Champion Hurdle, we wonder if this year might be different.
Faugheen, the unbeaten gem from the Willie Mullins yard, is the Champion Hurdle favourite right now (2/1 with Ladbrokes) and a convincing win on Stephen’s Day will only shorten up that price. On his one outing this year, the Coral Hurdle at Ascot, he won handily enough and he is odds on here to maintain his unbeaten run.
The threat is probably Paul Nicholls’ Irving, who recovered from a fall on season debut to win the Fighting Fifth last month. However, our faith in Faugheen is unshakeable, and we reckon those 2/1 odds for Cheltenham will look pretty tasty come 3pm this afternoon.
Now we head home to Leopardstown and the biggest of the big races here is one with many similarities to the one that will have just finished in Kempton. The Racing Post Novice Chase (2.55) is a 2m, 1f Grade 1 contest in which all eyes will be on an unbeaten Willie Mullins horse that is also owned by the Riccis.
This time it is Vautour, and as Ruby Walsh will be in England, Paul Townend will be in the saddle in south Dublin. Last year’s Supreme Novices Hurdle champ has had one outing over fences, a routine win in Navan last month. This is a step up though, so we will be interested observers as to how the five-year-old will cope with the surely increased pace.
At 2/7 for the favourite, this may be more of a race to take notes in than hand them across the counter in your local shop but it should be a good indicator as to how Vautour is progressing, and which race he may head for come Festival time in March.
The final race to make time for is the showpiece, the King George VI Chase (3.10) at Kempton. One of the sporting highlights of the year and with a very competitive line-up the 2014 edition is a tough one to call. Last year’s winner Silviniaco Conti is back to defend while the Irish charge is led by Willie Mullins’ Champagne Fever. Add in the presence of quality animals like Menorah, Al Ferof, Cue Card and Dynaste and you have a real treat.
Right now, last year’s winner is the slight favourite at 9/4 with Champagne Fever available at 3s. The Irish horse hasn’t tackled three miles yet and for that reason we would be wary of plunging. We might just have a few bob on Menorah though. The nine-year-old has been frustrating to back over the years but form this year has been good, with only Silviniaco Conti beating Phillip Hobbs’ charge. At 8/1, we fancy that as our post-Christmas treat.
