Big King George change officially confirmed for Boxing Day as ITV Racing host Ed Chamberlin says ‘it all makes sense’
A BIG change to Boxing Day’s King George race at Kempton has been officially confirmed by ITV.
The festive showpiece is the feature race of Kempton’s two-day card over the Christmas period.
But punters will have to keep an eye on the time this year as the race will be run earlier than usual.
In a bid to avoid a clash with the packed Boxing Day football fixture list, the 3m Grade 1 will be run at 2.30pm.
The past ten runnings of the race have all taken place between 3-3.15pm.
ITV host Ed Chamberlin, who will front 18 hours of live coverage over Christmas and New Year, said the small alteration was essential in the battle for eyeballs.
He told the Racing Post: “We’ve managed to move the King George, which hopefully means people can dive into pubs or watch on screens before they go to their 3pm football matches in England.
“I’ve never quite understood why the King George used to kick off after 3pm on arguably the biggest day of football in the calendar.
Most read in Horse Racing
OFFERS OF THE DAY
William Hill: Bet £10 Get £30 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Betfair: Bet £10 Get £30 – CLAIM HERE
Paddy Power: Bet £20 and get it back as cash if it loses – CLAIM HERE
Sky Bet: Bet £10 on Racing and get £30 in free bets – CLAIM HERE
Ladbrokes: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
Coral: Bet £5 Get £20 – CLAIM HERE
William Hill: 18+. Play Safe. From 00:01 on 13.04.2022. £30 bonus. New customers only. Minimum £10 stake on odds of 1/2 (1.5) or greater on sportsbook. Further terms apply. Begambleaware.org
Betfair – Place a min £10 bet on the Sportsbook on odds of min 1/2 (1.5), get £30 in Free Bets. Rewards valid for 30 days. SMS verification required. Only deposits via cards will qualify. T&Cs apply. Please Gamble Responsibly 18+ begambleaware.org
Paddy Power: New customers only. Place your FIRST bet on any market at odds of min 2.0 (EVS) and if it loses we will refund your stake in CASH. Max refund for this offer is £20. Only deposits made using cards will qualify for this promotion. T&Cs apply. 18+ Begambleaware.org
Sky Bet: New customers only. First single & e/w bet only odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 x £10 bet tokens. Free bet stakes not included in returns. Free bets only redeemable on horse racing. Free bets are non withdrawable. No free bet expiry. Eligibility restrictions and further t&cs apply.
Ladbrokes: 18+ New UK+IRE Customers only. Certain deposit methods & bet types excl. Min first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 to get 4x £/€5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. Restrictions + T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Coral: Eligible UK+IRE players. Paypal & some deposit & bet types excl. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of account reg at min odds 1/2 = 4x £5 free bets. Free bets valid for 7 days, stake not returned. No cash-out, restrictions & T&Cs apply. 18+ T&Cs Apply. Begambleaware.org
“We’ll have to see how we go this year.
“We have a really great relationship with the Jockey Club where we work as partners and I’d like to think if it works this year then it would stay there.
“It all makes sense really. Hopefully, by hook or by crook, people should be able to watch it.”
Paul Nicholls currently has the market leader for the big chase race worth £142,375 to the winner.
Sponsors Ladbrokes make Bravemansgame the 6-4 favourite but have reported a surge of support for Venetia Williams’ L’Homme Presse.
Nicola McGeady of Ladbrokes said: “L’Homme Presse has become the latest name to attract attention in our race.
“He has been really popular all morning with his price shortening up towards the head of the market.”
Ladbrokes King George VI Chase odds
6-4 Bravemansgame
3-1 Hitman
10-3 L’Homme Presse
6-1 Envoi Allen
10-1 Noble Yeats
12-1 Protektorat
16-1 bar
FREE BETS GET OVER £2,000 IN SIGN UP OFFERS HERE
Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. 18+. T&Cs apply. Begambleaware.org
Remember to gamble responsibly
A responsible gambler is someone who:
- Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
- Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
- Never chases their losses
- Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
- Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
- Gamble Aware – www.begambleaware.org