The 2023 King George VI chase at Kempton Park will see eight horses battle it out. According to the analysis, Shishkin, despite some recent setbacks, is the most promising contender. His speed and stamina make him an ideal candidate, and at odds of 11/2, it's worth taking a chance on him. The race will commence at 2:30pm on Boxing Day.
Runner-by-runner guide to the 2023 King George VI Chase
This famous Grade One takes place at Kempton on Tuesday 26th December
Shishkin is our best betting tip at 11/2
Expired
Nico de Boinville riding Shishkin clear the last to win The Betfair Ascot Chase at Ascot. (Getty)
King George VI Chase Guide
Allaho
Bravemansgame
Frodon
Hewick
Shishkin
The Real Whacker
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The winners of 16 Grade One races between them will clash in the 2023 King George VI Chase, after the final field was confirmed.
This famous Grade One will go off at 2:30pm at Kempton Park on Boxing Day. Here's our runner-by-runner guide to the 2023 King George and our best betting tips.
A superb winner of the Ryanair Chase in 2021 and 2022, Allaho produced one of the best recent performances we've seen from a staying chaser when thrashing some quality rivals in the 2022 Punchestown Gold Cup. A tilt at the King George was on the agenda last season, but Willie Mullins' star suffered an unusual spleen injury and was ruled out for the entire campaign.
Allaho made a winning return to action at Clonmel in November. Paul Townend's mount was entitled to get a little tired in the closing stages, but I felt that Allaho's jumping was fairly average throughout and wasn't particularly taken with the way he travelled.
An Allaho at the top of his game would be extremely hard to beat in the King George, as both the track and the trip would be ideal. Whether that injury and a season on the sidelines has left a mark on Mullins' nine-year-old is a genuine worry.
Bravemansgame
I was all over Bravemansgame heading into the King George 12 months ago and Harry Cobden's mount ran out a worthy winner, despite being posted wide throughout. On the back of that flawless victory, I backed Bravemansgame for the Gold Cup. This time, Cobden enjoyed a dream run through the contest, but the writing was on the wall when Galopin Des Champs loomed into contention heading to the last and Bravemansgame was comprehensively outstayed on the run to the line.
Nicholls' star has suffered further defeats in the Punchestown Gold Cup, the Charlie Hall and the Betfair Chase. Heading to Haydock before the King George hasn't worked with some of Nicholls' Kempton contenders, so I was surprised to see the team take that route.
The jury is out on whether Harry Cobden's mount is the same horse that cruised to victory at Kempton 12 months ago. Recent results would suggest he isn't, but if there's any trainer who can help him recapture King George-winning form, it's Paul Nicholls.
Harry Cobden riding Bravemansgame (right) to victory in the King George. (Getty)
Frodon
Bryony Frost will partner her favourite mount Frodon, in what could be the final race of his glittering career. Frost made all of the running to win this race on Frodon in 2020, and the fan's favourite has gone on to record fourth and third-placed efforts in the last two runnings of the King George.
Now, at the age of 11, Frodon seems to have lost that spring in his step. Nicholls' star has been well beaten on his last three starts in handicap company. I'm not expecting Frodon to contend, but I'd love to see this popular chaser enjoy a nice spin around Kempton and retire in front of his adoring fans.
Hewick
Shark Hanlon's raider is an interesting runner. Having won the Galway Plate and the Grand National Hurdle on US soil in 2022, Hewick turned up in the 2023 Gold Cup and Jordan Gainford's mount had only just been passed at the head of the field, before he took an untimely tumble at the second-last.
Hewick overcame that disappointment with a Grade Two victory around Sandown, his second high-profile victory at that testing venue. Jordan Gainford's mount will have to bounce back from a poor run in this year's Galway Plate, but Hewick does have a good record when fresh and his form around Sandown will give the Shark confidence that he'll cope with the rigours of Kempton.
Paul Townend on Allaho clears the last to win The Ryanair Chase race during day three of The Cheltenham Festival 2022 at Cheltenham Racecourse. (Getty)
Shishkin
Having come to the end of his tether over two miles, Shishkin announced his arrival as a middle-distance horse with an imperious victory over Pic D'Orhy and Fakir D'Oudairies in the Ascot Chase. Nicky Henderson's star then ran a bizarre race when second in the Ryanair, only to bounce back with a maiden three-mile victory in the Aintree Bowl the following month.
Nicky Henderson immediately earmarked the King George as Shishkin's next objective, but the cat was thrown amongst the pigeons when Nico De Boinville's mount whipped around at the start of the 1965 Chase and the field set off without him. Desperate to get a run into his star before Kempton, Henderson entered Shishkin in both the Rehearsal Chase and the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, but poor weather meant he couldn't take up either entry.
Henderson insistence that Shishkin would need a run before Kempton has seen the former Champion Chaser slide down the King George betting. Shishkin does, however, have a decent enough record on the back of a break and Kempton will certainly play to his strengths.
The Real Whacker
Patrick Neville's star enjoyed a fairytale rise to prominence during his novice chasing campaign last term. The Real Whacker won three times at Cheltenham, beating Monmiral and Thunder Rock in the Dipper before fending off Gerri Colombe to land the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase.
Had Gerri Colombe been ridden a little more prominently, there's no doubt in my mind that he would have chased down Sam Twiston-Davies' mount and won that Grade One. The Real Whacker ran very poorly on his comeback run in the Paddy Power Gold Cup and the form of his Dipper win was knocked by the performances of Monmiral and Thunder Rock in the December Gold Cup this weekend.
The Real Whacker loved to front-run, but he'll likely have competition for the early lead from Allaho, Hewick and Frodon. I simply cannot make a case for him, given the quality of the opposition.
Despite a troubled prep and Nicky Henderson's pessimism, I find myself leaning towards SHISHKIN. The combination of speed and stamina that he possesses makes him the ideal candidate for the King George VI Chase.
Shishkin has played up several times over the past 18 months, leading to some speculating that he might have fallen out of love with the game. Yet, on a going day, Nico De Boinville's mount has shown himself capable of a truly monstrous performance.
Henderson applied first-time cheekpieces at Ascot, and I'm hoping they'll be removed on Boxing Day. At 11/2, I'm willing to take a chance on Shishkin.
Best Bet1: Shishkin 2023 King George VI Chase Tips @11/2 at BOYLE Sports - 15 Units
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