The 2024 King George VI Chase runners will see 11 horses heading to post on Thursday December 26th. With the recently supplemented Spillane’s Tower the new favourite.
The 2024 entries also don’t include ANY runners from the Willie Mullins yard.
2024 King George VI Runners Headed By Spillane’s Tower
We’ve seen 11 of the last 22 King George VI Chase favourites reward festive backers and according to the best horse racing betting sites in the UK, it will be Spillane’s Tower who will be trying to uphold this stat in 2024.
The 6 year-old was supplemented for £4,600 six days before the big Boxing Day race at Kempton and will now be one of two runners in the race for top owner JP McManus, who also has Corbetts Cross.
McManus has only won the King George VI Chase, which was way back in 2000 with First Gold.
Spillane’s Tower was last seen running a close second to Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite Fact To File in John Durkan Memorial Chase at Punchestown last month.
You can also see all Andy Newton’s King George Chase trends here.
Il Est Francais Another Exciting King George VI Runner
The exciting French-trained 6 year-old Il Est Francais caught the eye of jump horse racing fans last year at the Kempton Boxing Day Meeting when bolting up in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase (watch below) and has since returned this season with an easy win at Auteuil at the end of September.
Trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm in France, Il Est Francais is one of 16 King George Chase VI runners that remain in the race after the latest declaration stage.
The horse will be trying to follow the footsteps of past French-trained King George winners – The Fellow (twice) and Algan, who won the race three times between them in 1991, 1992 and 1994.
King George VI Chase 2024 Details
📅Date: Thursday 26th December 2024
⌚Time: 2:30pm
🏇Racecourse: Kempton
🔄Trip: 3m
💷Winning Purse: £148,098
📺 TV: ITV / Racing TV
Fact To File WON’T Head To Kempton On Boxing Day
Despite there being 11 King George VI Chase runners at this stage, there is big name in this division missing – Fact To File.
Last year’s Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase winner Fact To File wasn’t declared by his trainer Willie Mullins and can be expected to instead look at targets in Ireland over Christmas.
With the Savills Chase and another clash with Galopin Des Champs on the cards for the current Cheltenham Gold Cup favourite.
Last Year’s King George Chase Winner Hewick Won’t Run
The 2023 winner Hewick, however, won’t be a 2024 King George VI Chase runner.
The bargain buy Irish chaser came with a late run to win the race under jockey Gavin Sheehan last season and has returned this season with a fine second in the Ladbrokes Champions Chase at Down Royal in early November.
Hewick would have been the first back-to-back King George VI Chase winner since Clan Des Obeaux. Who won in 2018 and 2019.
But the best betting sites in the UK are suggesting he’s another that will have the Savills Hurdle at Leopardstown as his target.
WATCH: Hewick Winning The 2023 King George VI Chase
Gold Cup Hero Galopin Des Champ WON’T Run In The 2024 King George VI Chase
Kempton racecourse was dreaming of attracting the Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs. However, the Willie Mullins-trained horse was taken out of the King George runners in November.
In fact, Willie Mullins took ALL his remaining runners out on Tuesday 26th November – a month before the race.
His only two previous wins came in 2001 with Florida Pearl and in 2021 with Tornado Flyer.
2024 King George VI Runners As 11 Horses Confirmed For Kempton Showpiece
- Banbridge
- Bravemansgame
- Corbetts Cross
- Envoi Allen
- General En Chef
- Grey Dawning
- Il Est Francais
- Juntos Ganamos
- L’Homme Presse
- Spillane’s Tower
- The Real Whacker
