What better way to spend Boxing Day than attend the William Hill Winter Festival as the Kempton Park Racecourse? If you can’t attend live, then you can at least flop in front of the television and enjoy a great day of racing whilst your body recovers from yesterday’s festivities.
The festival lasts over 2 days and there is a total of 12 races. £0,000 race goers are expected to turn up, and unlike last year when bad weather meant the festival had to be postponed, this year mild weather is predicted with temperatures of around 15C being quite likely. If you are going to attend, remember that on Boxing Day there is no public transport, so it is best to get there early.
The most important race of the festival is the William Hill King George VI Steeple Chase which is on the first day. This Grade 1 race attracts a lot of attention, and betting is generally quite heavy. This time is should be a very exciting race as both the current champion Long Run and the two stable maces Kauto Star and Master Minded are amongst the expected field of 15 runners, so we can expect another clash of the titans.
At the time of writing the favourite was Long Run with odds of around 11/8 and Kauto Star was priced at 4/1. Third favourite Master Minded was priced at 8/1, but expect these odds to fluctuate somewhat.
The race covers 3 miles and includes 18 fences. It is for horses of four years and older. The first King George VI was run in 1937 and it was in honour of King George VI’s coronation.
Kauto Star