With the final Kempton fields in here are some potential wallet fillers

It is the same problem every year for racing fans. Having spent most of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day studying every piece of form going all you want to do is watch the brilliant action from Kempton – but you face a battle for the remote from those who would rather watch Chariots Of Fire for the 100th time.

Fret no more, here are some of the potential Christmas Hurdle/King George doubles you could slip in the Christmas cards of those you love to help convince them the television should be tuned in to ITV.

The bankers

Nothing captures the hearts and minds of the uninitiated like backing a winner and the safe play would be to stick Nicky Henderson's two Christmas crackers – Buveur D'Air and Might Bite – in a double. At 1-4 and 11-8 the double pays just a shade under 2-1, which is a nice bit of pocket money for the kids.

The been there, done that

Only two horses in the King George have so much as run in the race before, with last year's winner Thistlecrack and fourth Tea For Two the only ones coming back for more. In the Christmas Hurdle, only The New One and Old Guard have run in the race before with Old Guard fourth in the 2015 running. The New One was second that year, second last year and – you guessed it second in 2013. An each-way double on The New One at 9-2 and Thistlecrack at 6-1 should give mum a run for her money.

The let it rain

Kempton is forecast somewhere between 5mm and 20mm of rain on Christmas Day. The upper end of that could turn conditions testing and no horse relishes such conditions like Bristol De Mai. The King George second favourite is six from ten on ground described as soft or worse and should be coupled with The New One, who is eight from 13 in such conditions. The 7-2 and 9-2 will look generous if the rain arrives.

The zoom, zoom, zoom

Champion Hurdle winner Buveur D'Air would appear a class apart, and his 1-4 price reflects that, but perhaps you would rather double him up with Fox Norton. Kempton is a speed test and Fox Norton is unquestionably the speediest horse in the King George. The 13-2 shot has never raced within half a mile of the King George trip and warmed up over a mile shorter in the Tingle Creek, but so did Kauto Star before winning his first.

The early retirement

For the family member approaching retirement sticking 80-1 shots Double Shuffle or Traffic Fluide with either 50-1 shot Chesterfield or 66-1 shot Mohaayed could pay 4,130-1 or 5,426-1 depending on which of the outsiders you opt for in the Christmas Hurdle.

The shrewd play

Punting is all about prices and the case can be made that the chances of Old Guard at 14-1 and Whisper at 9-1 have been underestimated. Old Guard was only two and a half lengths behind The New One at Cheltenham on his last start so does not have much to find anyway and given the price of the other two outsiders is clearly the most likely to pick up the pieces should one of the front two underperform, while Whisper is as solid as they come and while question marks can be levelled against all of those ahead of him in the betting it is difficult to see him not turning up and running his race.

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