'There's a risk of heavy showers on Boxing Day' - Kempton set for soft ground

The Ladbrokes King George VI Chase, the £250,000 showpiece event on a Boxing Day featuring 77 races across Britain and Ireland, looks likely to be run on soft ground, which will delight connections of market leader L’Homme Presse.

The Venetia Williams-trained seven-year-old won the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase on soft ground at the Cheltenham Festival in March and when asked if the going would be the same at Kempton on Monday, clerk of the course Barney Clifford said on Christmas Eve: “It looks that way."

He added: “The ground is currently soft. We had 20 millimetres of rain in total on Friday and the forecast is for another band of rain tomorrow, Christmas Day. Accumulations are a little uncertain, it could be five or ten millimetres.

“That clears through and then I think there might be a risk of heavy showers Boxing Day morning, so I think, although it walks a little bit better than soft, we’ll leave it as soft for now.”

L’Homme Presse is 13-8 with the race's sponsor to land a third Grade 1 win over fences and long-time ante-post favourite Bravemansgame out to 3-1 with William Hill.

The King George is one of four top-level races from Kempton being shown on ITV1 with the rearranged Long Walk Hurdle, Kauto Star Novices’ Chase and the Christmas Hurdle providing a stellar supporting cast to the main event.

The ITV cameras will also visit Wetherby to screen its feature Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase with the going good to soft, soft in places for the seven-race card.

Clerk of the course Jonjo Sanderson said on Saturday: “We had 14 mill of rain in the end yesterday afternoon into the early part of the evening, and it’s been dry since seven o’clock last night.

Wetherby: seven-race Boxing Day card is headlined by the Rowland Meyrick Handicap ChaseCredit: Steve Davies

“I’ve just walked the track and changed it to good to soft, soft with a very limited number of soft places, but at the moment they are there.

"We’ve got a dry weekend forecast today, tomorrow and on Monday predominantly, although there's a possibility of a light shower on Monday morning, maybe a millimetre or so, but that’s all.

“I’d imagine we might lose the soft in places given the forecast for the weekend but, on the whole, it will be the slower side of good to soft ground.”

The Rowland Meyrick has attracted Grade 1 winners Shan Blue, Chantry House, Sporting John, Kalashnikov and Lostintranslation, and Sanderson, who is also chief executive of the North Yorkshire track, is delighted at the turnout for the £50,000 handicap.

He said: “Aye Right’s got form around here in the Charlie Hall Chase a couple of years ago, Mark Walford’s got the local chance [Into Overdrive] and never discount Phil Kirby’s horses [Top Ville Ben], so it’s a very competitive renewal this year; we’re very pleased with it.”

'I’m amazed how different it is in 12 hours'

Wincanton has dealt with a deluge of rain over the last week with 51mm falling in the last seven days ahead of a Boxing Day card featuring a Pertemps qualifier.

The Somerset track had 18mm of rain on Friday morning, which left standing water on parts of the chase course, but clerk Daniel Cooper provided a positive update when walking the course on Saturday morning.

“I’m amazed how different it is in 12 hours here, it’s taken the rain incredibly well,” said Cooper. “Yesterday I did have standing water in places on the chase course. I’m walking Wincanton now and that has gone, so I’m happy to see that it’s improving.

“I’d say we’ll be doing a going change, good to soft chase course, soft in places and then keeping the hurdle the same, which is soft, good to soft, so a minor switch on the chase course.”

Cooper is also clerk at Exeter and expressed some slight concern for the New Year’s Day meeting.

“Exeter is on the back of my mind,” he said. “It’s soft, heavy in places there with another wet week to come. We’ve had 85 millimetres there.

"We go on New Year’s Day traditionally at Exeter, which is usually a big occasion, so I’m just going to keep an eye on that as well, but let’s get Boxing Day out of the way first.”

In Ireland, Leopardstown takes centre stage and the ground on Saturday was described as yielding to soft on the hurdles course and yielding on the chase track after 13mm of rain.

The current mild weather and occasional showers is expected to turn colder on Monday.

Read these next:

King George 1-2-3 predictions: who will be the first three home at Kempton?

2022 King George: who wins the big race at Kempton based on previous trends?

Sign up here. 18+. New UK+IRE customers only. Certain deposit methods and bet types excluded. Minimum first £/€5 bet within 14 days of account reg at minimum odds 1/2 to get 4x £/€5 free bets. Free bets available to use on selected sportsbook markets only. Free bets valid for seven days. Stake not returned. Restrictions and T&Cs apply.