Last Updated on 09/12/2025 by Andy Clark
- William Hill’s tipster Steve Mulligan gives his King George VI Chase selection ahead of Kempton on Boxing Day.
- Our own tipster Brian Healy is against the William Hill selection, picking his own 5/1 selection for the big race.
- Read our King George preview below and see the tipsters’ predictions…
Arguably the biggest race of the Festive calendar, Boxing Day at Kempton Park is synonymous with the King George VI Chase, one of the most famous and prestigious races in the National Hunt sphere.
Often considered a Cheltenham Gold Cup pointer, the pedigree of the King George VI Chase means it often attracts the very best horses and with the likes of Arkle, Pendil, Wayward Lad, Desert Orchid and Best Mate just a few of the top-class winners of both races, it is hard to argue otherwise the race’s stature as an elite contest.
Unlike another of the big races of the Festive calendar – the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow – speed and fluent jumping can often win the game over stamina, with Kempton’s flat, sharp layout in stark contrast to the more galloping and stiff track of its Welsh counterpart. And with just a few weeks to go until Kempton’s Grade One highlight, the ante-post betting market is certainly heating up with another high-class line-up likely to go to post.
Steve Mullington, writer for the William Hill ante-post blog, recently posted his thoughts on the Kempton showpiece, and the tipster picked out KOLOKICO as a potential each-way dark horse despite the presence of the likes of Gaelic Warrior, Jango Baie, The Jukebox Man and Fact To File amongst potential opponents.
William Hill’s Tips for the King George Chase at Kempton
So why, given the potential level of opposition against KOLOKICO (33/1 with William Hill), has Steve landed on Emmanuel Clayeux’s French raider, who is likely to be a big price come flag-fall?
In his piece, Mullington has highlighted the 3m3½f Prix la Haye Jousselin as a potential key pointer to the chances of Kolokico, as that was a race won by two former King George VI Chase winners, The Fellow (1990) and First Gold (2000). Kolokico was beaten in that race back in November, finishing second, but even accounting for that defeat, it could be that race may well prove to be a decent path to success.
With the King George VI Chase taking place over three miles, that proven stamina winning over further could stand the Cokoriko gelding in good stead, although it has to be noted that Auteuil is a whole different layout to Kempton.
It wouldn’t be a massive shock to see him outrunning big odds, assuming the ground comes right for him.
Thatsagoal Tipster Brian Healy Predicts the King George VI Chase Winner
For us, Kolokico doesn’t strike as a potential winner of the King George VI Chase, although a place could well be within his grasp. All his winning form over fences thus far has come over a trip short of the King George VI trip in testing ground and conditions at Kempton is rarely particularly testing.
The last time the ground was described as heavy for the King George VI Chase was 2012; since then, the ground has been good or good to soft in nine subsequent years, with only three instances of soft ground. Ground conditions then, would have to be a worry.
Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File clashed in the recent John Durkan Chase at Punchestown, with the former coming out on top in a hard race for both horses. Both are well fancied and feature towards the head of the ante-post betting, but with both also holding entries in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown over the Festive period, it may well be that neither will line up at Kempton, although both would travel to the Sunbury track with live chances.
Banbridge won the race twelve months ago and is another to feature prominently, and Joseph O’Brien’s star may well take his place in the line-up again to mount a title defence; while another French raider Il Est Francais, could reoppose having finished runner-up twelve months ago.
However, it could pay to side with the improving THE JUKEBOX MAN (5/1 with William Hill) from the Ben Pauling stable, and the Ask gelding has gone from strength to strength over fences, with potential further improvement not ruled out.
It would be a big task for him to win this Grade One prize after just three chase starts, but one of them did come at this track when beating Hyland in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase last campaign, and that race was the route Il Est Francais took in 2023 before his near-miss last year. Bravemansgame also won the Kauto Star in 2021 before his King George VI Chase victory twelve months later, and Long Run took the honours in 2009 before coming a dual King George VI Chase winner, so it is a race that can have a bearing on future winners.
All ground comes alike to him; he’s placed or won in ground varying from heavy (over hurdles) to good (over fences), and he’ll arrive at Kempton fit from a winning reappearance at Haydock. This will certainly be a bigger test of his credentials, but he’s going the right way over fences and likely has plenty more to offer.
King George VI Chase Ante-Post Tips
| Steve Mulligan (William Hill) | Thatsagoal (Brian Healy) |
|---|---|
| Kolokico (33/1) | The Jukebox Man (5/1) |
Odds are correct at the time of writing, and you can use the William Hill sign-up offer to open an account and get £40 in free bets when you bet £10 on horse racing today.
