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boxing day racing tips
There are no less than eight race meetings taking place on Boxing Day in the UK, but no doubt the pick of the bunch is the opening day of the Ladbrokes Christmas festivities at Kempton Park.
The Festival features two days of high-quality racing, including a Boxing Day card featuring three Grade 1 competitions – the Couto Star Novices’ Chase, the Christmas Hurdle and the main race of the meeting, the world famous King George VI Chase.
The highlight of the Christmas racing calendar was first held in 1937 and is now held over three miles over 18 fences, featuring notable past winners including Kauto Star, Frodon, Best Mate and Desert Orchid.
In 2025, both the previous year’s winner and runner-up are part of an eight-horse field, with Bainbridge beating Il Est Francais to claim the crown in 2024.
However, this time no horse is among the favorites betting sites Bainbridge priced at 14/1 to defend his crown.
Instead, we have two joint favorites in the market, with Nicky Henderson’s Jango Bai priced at 5/2 along with Willie Mullins’ Gaelic Warrior, while his stablemate Fact To File is expected to end a nearly 50-year wait for JP McManus in this contest.
King George VI Chase Tip: Gaelic Warrior to emerge victorious in headline event
Nine runners have been announced for the King George and it is a high-quality field with Jango Bai among the leading contenders following his win in the 1965 Chase at Ascot in November.
Nicky Henderson’s Arkle winner is the youngest horse in the field and is unproven over this distance, but has a profile similar to former King George winners Might Bite and Long Run and is highly regarded.
The Willie Mullins-trained Gaelic Warrior is the second horse at around 5/2 horse racing betting sitesThe gelding defeated his stablemate Fact To File in the John Durkan at Punchestown last month.
Fact To File is in contention again here and is a Grade 1 winner over three miles so cannot be ignored, while The Jukebox Man, owned by Harry Redknapp, will have his supporters. betting apps As C&D winner in Kempton.
However, it is Gaelic Warrior that has recently received the nod having proven effective over a variety of distances and ground conditions, winning the bet365 Oaksey Chase in better conditions as well as the Aintree Bowl Chase over 3m1f in April.
The 2024 Arkle winner has proven a good jumper so far, and in the expert hands of Paul Townend, he should prove hard to beat on Boxing Day.
King George VI Prediction: Gaelic Warriors to win the King George VI Chase – 5/2 bet365
Ladbrokes Christmas Handicap tip: Sir Gino continues fine form
The Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle is the second of three Grade 1 races to be run at Kempton Park on Friday, this particular competition having been dominated by Constitution Hill for the past three years.
However, Nicky Henderson’s gelding is a notable absence this year, opening up the field for Sir Gino, an unbeaten five-year-old who already has two wins at Kempton to go along with Fighting Fifth Hurdle success in 2024.
Another Henderson-trained horse, Sir Gino, won the Novices’ Chase at Kempton in 2024 and the Juvenile Hurdle the year before that, but has been out of action since this time last year after suffering a life-threatening infection.
However, bookmakers think the horse will return to form immediately, with the official rating and an undefeated record providing a lot of promise.
Those looking for more value horse racing betting apps Golden Ace can be found viable at 4/1, with the seven-year-old having contributed to a Champion Hurdle victory at Cheltenham by winning Fighting Fifth at Newcastle late last month.
If Sir Gino cannot rediscover his old form, this is probably the horse that can be taken advantage of.
Boxing Day Racing Prediction: Sir Gino to win Christmas Hurdle – 8/13 Ladbrokes
Free Bets for the King George VI Chase
Tote is running a money-back promotion in the Christmas feature race, giving punters their stake back free bets If their horse finishes second, third or fourth.
The King George VI Chase at Kempton is one of the feature races covered by Tote, with stakes for wins and stakes eligible.
Punters should get involved and place bets on King George. If your selection finishes in second, third or fourth place, you will get your stake back up to £20 in tote credit.
This offer only applies to your first win or winning portion of each-way bet and any free bets are credited within 24 hours.
Tote Credit must be used on UK Racing Pool bets and expires after seven days.
responsible gambling
It is important that you take steps to keep control of your time and budget when using bookmakers. gambling venueThe same applies regardless of whether you are using online bookmakers, slot sites, casino sites, casino apps, Or any other gambling medium.
Even the most knowledgeable racing punter can lose a bet, so always stick to a budget and never chase your losses.
It is especially important not to be fooled by any free bets casino offers You can get, both of these are available in abundance on gambling sites, but should be approached with caution.
You can stay in control by using responsible gambling tools like deposit limits, loss limits, self-exclusions and time-outs.
You may also want to visit the following free organizations to discuss any gambling-related problems:
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