William Hill King George 2011

3.00 Kempton
William Hill King George VI Chase (Grade 1) (Class 1) (4YO plus)
Winner £114,020

Picks: Kauto Star (win),& The Nightingale (each/way)

Albertas Run: Past RSA winner who was impressive when scoring by 7 lengths in last at the beginning of last season; Did very well with ideal conditions, coming second in Ascot Chase before winning Ryanair and Melling Chases in good style; Came back with well beaten fourth in Old Roan but already running much better when falling 2 out (his pursuit of Masterminded proving futile) in Amlin 1965 Chase; May well be at his mid season peak and would be no surprise to see him run well.

Forpadydeplasterer: Finest hour came in the 2009 Arkle winner over C&D and has since been second on every single race he’s started, all but one of them in Grade one company; Usually runs game race but shouldn’t have been beaten last time and while one can see him getting involved over this trip and track, hard to see him winning.

Kauto Star: Confirmed himself as one of outstanding chasers of modern time when trashing 2009 Gold Cup field by 13 lengths, becoming only horse to regain Cheltenham Gold Cup in process and looked set for the three timer after a demolition job in this very race last year (one of highest rated performances ever) only to fall in main event, an earlier mistake having taken its toll; Came back seemingly as good as ever when beating Sizing Europe at Down Royal and one to beat as he aims for a remarkable fifth straight win.

Long Run: Came here with plenty of experience from France, and high quality experience at that as winner of three of his four starts over fences (impressive success in the Grade 1 Prix Maurice Gillois); Hacked up by 13 lengths from next time out winner Tazbar in Feltham Chase, and did same again when easy winner of Kingmaker Novices’ Chase; Made significant jumping errors on both wins and unable to get away with them when fading late on in RSA; Was widely expected to win Paddy Power Gold Cup off mark of 158 but a sloppy round of jumping led to a lacklustre third place; Foolish to write him off due to that, but has a lot of work to do on his jumping if he’s to land this.

Madison Du Berlais: Was an absolute revelation 2 seasons ago when winning this very race (off a 12lbs higher mark the Levy Board Chase (beat Denman by 23 lengths ) and Totesport Bowl; Hasn’t been in the same form since due to a mark of 169 but ran creditably on all occasions since and it’s well worth remembering that he was second in this last year, so he’s suitably placed to take advantage should he be below his best.

Nacarat: Impressed on first foray into Grade 1 company when nearly making all the running in the Melling Chase after a romp in the Racing Post chase; Went off boil since but has slowly came back into some sort of form afterwards and confirmed revival with easy Charlie Hall Chase win; Was well beaten after attempting to lead all the way in the Betfair Chase, and may find it near impossible to succeed with forcing tactics here.


Planet Of Sound: Ran a couple of great races at Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals as a novice, finishing third in the Arkle, and continued in the same vein when landing the Haldon Gold Cup on his first start last year, before a series of disappointing runs followed by a career best when landing the Punchestown Gold Cup; Made satisfactory return when third in Betfair Chase and very interesting at generous price given his rating.

Riverside Theatre: Reached a high level of form over hurdles and set to do big things over fences when hacking up on his first 2 starts as a novice; Made remarkable progress to come as close as fifth in Arkle last year, having been tailed off at halfway, so disappointing that he fell at Punchestown; Looked superb when coasting home here earlier in season and may be good enough to get involved.



The Nightingale: Looked to have been totally rejuvenated by a breathing op when bolting up at Fontwell and Kempton on his first two chase starts last year, so shame that he ruined his chance early by jumping right at Aintree; May have slipped under the radar following a serious effort when slamming Robert Goldback by 11 lengths, an effort that entitles him to be compering seriously in Grade 1 races; Second that day has since come third in John Durkan Chase (only beaten 1&1/2 lengths and massive unfilled potential, should he run here.

VERDICT: A pretty stellar renewal of a race that has made legends in the past, and today it all revolves around one horse. It’s nearly impossible to see anything beating KAUTO STAR in his attempt to win a remarkable 5th King George, with the 4 time winner looking as good as ever when winning the JNWine.com Champion Chase last time out. Long Run is seen by many as the horse to stop him, but he made several errors last time out and did not run up to a rating that suggested he could win this in the Paddy Power. With the likes of Nacarat and Ollie Magern looking set to make this a strong pace, those looking to for a solid each way alternative could do a lot worse than stablemate THE NIGHTINGALE, who's got a serious chance on his win at Down Royal earlier this season. Riverside Theatre is richly unexposed over fences (this will be his sixth start over fences) and may well take a hand, for all that he’s yet to be asked to go three miles.