King George VI Chase Betting Tips, Winners & History

Next Race: Sunday, 26th December 2021

The next race is scheduled to run on 26th December 2021. The race info, trends and tips shown below will be updated for the next renewal once the final declarations have been made.

King George VI Chase Betting Tips

Note: The following tips are from 2020. Tips for the next renewal will be added once the final declarations have been made.

Paul Nicholls is the most successful trainer in the history of this great race, and by some distance too, with the Ditcheat handler’s tally of 11 successes being more than double the amount recorded by any other handler.

There looks to be a pretty strong chance that Nicholls will make it a dozen in 2020, with four of the current 10-runner field hailing from his yard, including the top two in the market, the superb duo of Clan Des Obeaux and Cyrname.

This has been one of the better Grade 1s on the calendar for repeat winners. Wayward Lad claimed the prize three times in the 1980s, whilst Desert Orchid went one better when bagging the trophy for a fourth time in 1990. Best of all though is the Paul Nicholls-trained Kauto Star, who came home in front on an incredible five occasions. Those looking to follow the previous winner angle this year will no doubt be keen to support the 2018 and 2019 champ, Clan Des Obeaux.

Partly down to those repeat victors, this has also been a solid contest for the jolly in terms of strike rate in recent years, with four of the past 10 favourites having come home in front. There haven’t been any great prices in amongst that lot, but the sequence has still been enough to sneak supporters of the market leader into a profit of 35p to £1 level stakes. That is mostly thanks to the defending champion who was priced at the very tidy odds of 12/1 for his first victory in 2018.

Odds are a decent place to continue looking at trends, with only one winner in the last 20 runs going in at bigger than that 12/1 price. Unsurprisingly, 19 of our last 20 winners had also previously won a Grade 1, whilst that same percentage had also scored at least a place with 70 days of this contest. Lastly, in terms of age it is the younger horses who have tended to do best in recent times.

Whilst we have had two winners aged 11 this century, most recently when Kauto claimed his final victory in 2011, they are the only horses aged over nine to win since Desert Orchid completed his hat-trick in 1990. Since 2011 horses aged seven or eight have won six of the eight contests.

Clan Des Obeaux – 7/4

Given his previous record in the race, and the many trends boxes he ticks, it is no real surprise that it is dual champ Clan Des Obeaux who heads the betting in most lists. 1½l too good for the defending champ Thistlecrack when causing a 12/1 shock in the 2018 edition, he then made a mockery of 11/2 odds in a five runner edition of the race 12 months ago when demolishing the field by an eased down 21 lengths.

The bare form of that is particularly strong ahead of this year’s edition, as the horse to finish a distant second to him that day was non-other than stablemate, Cyrname, who the market rates as his most likely challenger this time around.

Much like in each of the last two seasons, the eight year old heads into this on the back of just the one previous outing. And it was a pretty decent return too when finishing a 2l second to course specialist Bristol De Mai in the Betfair Chase at Haydock. On the downside, Nicholls was pretty bullish about his chances of winning in the lead up to that race, suggesting he had him at close to his peak for his return.

Looking back at that race though, the heavy ground did suit the winner far more on the day, and Clan Des Obeaux should be much better suited by the likely conditions here. Moreover, it is perhaps he who can be deemed the course specialist here. A winner on his second start in each of the past four seasons, and thoroughly proven over the course and distance, he looks a worth favourite.

Cyrname – 15/8

As solid as the case for Clan Des Obeaux looks on paper, he is not actually the best horse in this race - at east according to the official handicapper. That honour belongs to the fellow Paul Nicholls runner, eight year old Cyrname. Given this horse’s mighty reputation, it is a little surprising to learn that he has just the one previous Grade 1 chase success to his name, with that effort coming when destroying the field from the front in the 2019 Ascot Chase. It was in fact that 17-length demolition job which resulted in him being handed a lofty perch of 176, making him the highest rated chaser currently in training.

As impressive as that Ascot Chase contest was, Cyrname’s highest profile win to date came back at Ascot in the 2019 Grade 2 Christy 1965 chase, when becoming the first - and so far only - horse to beat the brilliant Altior over fences, albeit over a distance far more in his favour than that of the Nicky Henderson star.

That looked a tough race at the time, and the subsequent efforts of Cyrname do suggest it may have left a mark, with the mount of Harry Cobden being beaten 21l in this race and falling when beaten in defence of his Ascot Chase crown. Those efforts posed a question headed into the current season, but he answered them with aplomb when cruising clear in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby. With 5lb in hand on the book, and the possibility of getting his own way in front, he looks a big threat here.

Santini – 6/1

Unexpected further intrigue was added to this year’s edition with the late news that Nicky Henderson had taken the decision to supplement his talented Milan gelding, Santini for the race, with the eight year old immediately being installed as third favourite across the board. Henderson is certainly no slouch with staying chasers and, whilst he doesn’t come close to matching the record of Nicholls in this race, he does have three wins to his name since 2010, so clearly knows the type of runner needed to succeed.

Sitting on a mark of 172, Santini is actually 1lb superior to Clan Des Obeaux on the book, but unlike the market leader, he does not yet have a Grade 1 chase win to his name, not a great pointer on trends. He could hardly have come much closer though having finished second to Topofthegame in the 2019 RSA Novices Chase, and gone down by only a rapidly diminishing ½l to Al Boum Photo in the 2020 Gold Cup.

That’s clearly high-class form which brings him right into contention, but considering he often takes a while to get going before doing his best work late, this step down to 3m on a sharpish track does pose a question. That said, he is fit and well from a recent comeback at Aintree and can go close if in touch as they turn for home.