Leading tipster Brian Flanagan has five picks for the busy festive period including a strong fancy for the King George at Kempton
A carnival of Christmas racing is almost upon us and for jump racing fans it’s one of the most wonderful times of the year.
From Leopardstown to Limerick, Kempton to Chepstow, there’s a feast of top class action from December 26th to 29th with some of the best horses in training taking part.
We’re very much still at the entry stage but we’ve selected five horses to keep your Festive pocket warm and hopefully pay for some of the Christmas bills.
THE JUKEBOX MAN (2.30 Kempton, December 26)
The King George is undoubtedly the biggest race on the Festive race calendar and this year’s renewal has the makings of a real Christmas cracker.
Inevitably, Willie Mullins trains the favourite in John Durkan hero Gaelic Warrior, but it hasn’t been a race that has been kind to Closutton, with 2021 outsider Tornado Flyer his only winner since Florida Pearl two decades earlier.
Kempton is a unique track that some horses find challenging, and course form is something that King George punters should consider strongly.
THE JUKEBOX MAN won the Grade 1 Kauto Star Chase on this card 12 months ago and, having missed the rest of the season, he returned at Haydock last month to impress greatly in winning a valuable Graduation Chase contest.
Owned by former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp, the Ben Pauling-trained seven-year-old looks very talented and zipped around here last year impressively.
Banbridge returns to the scene of his biggest success and can’t be ruled out on good ground while another Irish raider Fastorslow has his chance if he returns to his best form.
MARINE NATIONALE ( 1.12 Leopardstown, December 27th)
He’ll arrive at Leopardstown without the benefit of a run but Barry Connell’s stable star announced himself as the best two mile chaser in training last season in winning at both Cheltenham and Punchestown.
Jumping is the name of the game and this eight-year-old is a far safer bet than the error strewn Majborough, who remains favourite for this race despite jumping like a fridge in the Hilly Way at Cork and at Cheltenham last year.
Better ground would suit Marine Nationale but there’s also the chance he may not have much to beat if Willie Mullins elects to sit this one out with Majborough in favour of a confidence boosting lesser race in the new year.
Found A Fifty has enjoyed a lucrative first half to the season but has not shown he’s capable at Grade 1 level yet while El Fabiolo is another talented Mullins inmate that has serious questions to ask about his jumping.
MR VANGO (2.50 Chepstow, December 27th)
MR VANGO is a very likeable horse, who came agonisingly close to adding the valuable Beecher Chase last week to his Midlands National win last March.
He’s up another 3lbs for that second to Twig at Aintree but is a horse who would have very strong claims for the stamina test of Chepstow’s Welsh National and provided he’s fully recovered there’s no stronger contender at the moment.
Trainer Sara Bradstock knows all about staying chasers, having co-trained Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Coneygree with her late husband Mark, and the job she’s done with this nine-year-old has been remarkable.
This is not a race where Irish raiders have a good record with Raz De Maree in 2017 and Notre Pere in 2008 our only two wins but Stuart Crawford’s O’Toole has the right profile for the race where he to make the trip across to south Wales.
WATERFORD WHISPERS (3.00 Leopardstown, December 27th)
The €200,000 Paddy Power Chase is one of the highlights of the Festival period and it’s a race that owner JP McManus loves to win with Perceval Legallois his 10th winner last year.
McManus has many entries at this early stage but one that catches the eye is the Henry De Bromhead-trained WATERFORD WHISPERS, a lightly raced seven-year-old gelding.
He was runner-up in the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham in 2024 and remains a very well-handicapped novice over fences having yet to win in his five attempts.
He was a disappointing favourite last time out at Punchestown but the step up to three miles and the hustle and bustle of a big field might just be the sort of task he’s crying out for.
McManus also has Down Memory Lane near the top of the ante-post market – a horse who looks very ‘well-in’ now considering he won the Foxrock Chase at Navan last week despite the penalty he’ll receive for that success.
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS (2.30 Leopardstown, December 28th)
A horse of a lifetime, the Willie Mullins-trained dual Gold Cup winner will be back at his favourite track Leopardstown for the defence of his Savills Chase crown on December 28th.
He missed his annual seasonal reappearance at Punchestown in the John Durkan but that shouldn’t put punters off backing him to make it three-in-row in this contest.
Stablemate Fact To File is currently favourite following his narrow defeat at Punchestown but Galopin took care of him by seven lengths last year and the JP McManus-owned Ryanair winner has never fully convinced over three miles.
Galopin Des Champs has won seven of his 12 races at the South Dublin venue and despite rising ten he still has plenty of ability and arguably produced one of the best performances of his career at Punchestown last April.
His Gold Cup nemesis Inothewayurthinkin will also likely take him on but around Leopardstown on soft ground, they’ll need to be at their best to beat GDC.
