Bravemansgame Good Value for a Unique Kempton Park Hat-Trick
As the National Hunt season winds down for the summer months, fans of jump racing are already beginning to plot their ante-post punts for the tail-end of 2023 and into next year.
Christmas feels like a long old stretch away, but you can be assured that it will be here in the blink of an eye – and with it, amongst all the usual festivities, will come a return to top-flight jumps racing.
The King George VI Chase is one of the highlights of the festive calendar, and Bravemansgame will be seeking to defend his title and complete a unique hat-trick at Kempton Park.
Home Comforts
Some horses simply have a penchant for certain racecourses.
Bravemansgame has occasionally flattered to deceive in top-tier action, but there’s something about the unique conditions at Kempton he seems to love. And that’s why the eight-year-old leads the way for those betting online horse racing for the King George, where he’s the 13/8 ante-post favourite ahead of the likes of Shishkin (4/1), Allaho (8/1) and Gold Cup champion Galopin Des Champs (12/1).
Paul Nicholls’ horse won the 2022 edition of the King George in impressive fashion, enjoying a 14-length cushion over the nearest challenger Royale Pagaille. Even a chaotic exit from the favourite, L’Homme Presse, who unseated Charlie Deutsche, cannot detract from the imperious nature of Bravemansgame’s victory.
That came 12 months after the Bryan Drew owned horse had picked up a first win at Kempton’s Christmas Festival. That was in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase – a race named after the incomparable five-time King George winner, where Bravemansgame defeated the fancied Ahoy Senor by a comfortable seven-length margin.
It’s interesting that Bravemansgame has twice been beaten when well-backed at Aintree (2022 Mildmay Novices’ Chase) and Punchestown (2023 Gold Cup), and he had little chance against Galopin Des Champs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.
But get this three-mile powerhouse onto the turf at Kempton and he seems to perk up considerably – a fact not lost on those building their ante-post bets.
Will Three Be the Magic Number for Shishkin?
One of the questions long-range punters will be asking themselves during the summer hiatus is how well will Shishkin take to the longer three-mile trip over fences?
The credentials of Nicky Henderson’s horse are, for the most part, not in question. Despite a somewhat below-par 2022 campaign, the nine-year-old bounced back with a stunning 16-length victory in the Ascot Chase in January.
A narrow defeat at Cheltenham to the excellent Envoi Allen was a bump in the road, before Henderson offered a tantalising glimpse of the 2023/24 season by running Shishkin over three miles in the Aintree Bowl in April.
The result? A narrow triumph over the likes of Ahoy Senor and former Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard – a run in which he notably ran on well amongst stiff competition.
So three miles is unlikely to be an issue for Shishkin, and with a prior win at Kempton Park to his name in the Desert Orchid Chase, he too could be primed for a tilt at the King George in December.
The prospect of a Bravemansgame vs Shishkin battle in mouth-watering… what a way that will be to kickstart the new National Hunt season.