KAUTO SET FOR KING GEORGE
Ruby Walsh will ride Kauto Star at Kempton on Boxing Day, as the festive horse racing programme gears up.
Walsh takes the reigns of the brilliant seven-year-old, trained by Paul Nicholls, for the �220,000 King George VI Chase.
Kauto Star, the reigning King George champion, renews his rivalry with Exotic Dance, last year's runner-up, and Racing Demon, who finished third.
The King George will be only the second time Walsh has been back in the saddle of late, after recovering from a shoulder injury which has kept him out for the past month.
Despite riding the favourite on Boxing Day, Walsh is taking nothing for granted in what is regarded by many as jump racing's mid-season championship for staying chasers.
"Unlike last year when there were a few horses making up the numbers there don't appear to be any this year," he said.
"Every horse running has a right to be there. It will be a good race. It doesn't look like there's going to be a huge amount of pace but I suppose Our Vic is the only front-runner.
"I'd say Exotic Dancer would surprise a few - I don't think Jonjo O'Neill's horses are going as badly as people think."
The field at Kempton has been reduced to seven following the withdrawal of Evan Williams' Lord Jay Jay, whilst other leading contenders for the prestigious chase include Arkle Chase winner My Way de Solzen and Our Vic.
Taranis and Hi Cloy, both stablemates of Kauto Star, complete the field in what promises to be a season highlight. Victory at the King George usually indicates a good showing at the Cheltenham Festival, with the last six winners at Kempton also taking the Cheltenham Gold Cup at some point in their careers.
Kauto Star is gunning for his second �1m bonus in two years by winning three of the season's big races before defending his Cheltenham crown in March.
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