THERE was a time when the Irish just didn’t win the King George. Like, when Florida Pearl won the race in 2001, he was the first Irish-trained horse to win it since the Pat Taaffe-trained Captain Christy won the second of his brace in 1975. And before Captain Christy? Arkle in 1965. Ridden by Captain Christy’s trainer.

It’s a little different now. Kicking King won two and, when Hewick came with that run last year to get up and beat Bravemansgame and Allaho, Shark Hanlon’s horse brought up a second King George in three years for Irish-trained horses.

The addition of Spillane’s Tower on Friday to the King George puzzle strengthened the Irish challenge this year and added to the intrigue. Jimmy Mangan’s horse is a fascinating inclusion, a dual Grade 1 winner from last season, over two and a half miles and an extended three, who proved that he belonged in the big league with a career-best performance in the John Durkan Chase on his debut this season, when he went down by a half a length to fellow second season chaser Fact To File, with the dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and the dual Punchestown Gold Cup winner behind them in third and fourth.

J.P. McManus’ horse was weak in the market before the John Durkan Chase too, he should come on for the run, and the fact that connections thought enough of his chance to put him into the King George at the 11th hour is obviously significant.

Hopefully, there is enough ease in the ground now for connections to allow him take his chance.

A lack of ease in the ground is of no concern to Banbridge. On the contrary, Joseph O’Brien’s horse is at his best on goodish ground. All his best performances, his Martin Pipe Hurdle win, his beginners’ chase win, his Arkle Trial win, his Punchestown Champion Chase win, were all put up on ground that was good to soft or good to yielding or good or yielding.

It was also good to soft when he won the Silviniaco Conti Chase on his debut last season, when he proved that he could operate around Kempton by getting the better of the highly talented Pic D’Orhy, who won the Grade 1 Ascot Chase next time.

Banbridge was disappointing on his return this season in the Fortria Chase at Navan, but he put that run behind him last time with a big performance in the Hilly Way Chase at Cork.

It is impossible to know how he would have fared had he not unseated at the final fence, but he would have run Energumene close at worst, giving him 10lb, over a distance that is almost certainly short of his best, and he would have finished well clear of the high-class mare Dinoblue.

The King George distance is an unknown for him. History tells you that you need to truly stay the three-mile trip, if you are going to win a King George.

Flat track it may be, but there is no hiding place in the King George, they get racing from early, and the road to defeat in the King George is littered with horses, who stayed two and a half miles but not three.

That said, Banbridge won the Martin Pipe Hurdle as a six-year-old, a race that usually tests stamina over two and a half miles more than speed.

It is a race that is usually a stepping stone to longer distances, a race that has been won in the past by Sir Des Champs and Don Poli and Killultagh Vic and Early Doors and Galopin Des Champs.

Banbridge is not devoid of pace, but he needed every yard of the two-mile trip to get up and beat Captain Guinness in the Champion Chase at Punchestown in April, he stays two and a half miles well and there is plenty of stamina in his pedigree. He has so many other elements in his favour, that the slight worry about the distance is more than factored into his odds.

Novices’ handicap chase

It is not surprising that Asta La Pasta heads the market for the two-and-a-half-mile novices’ handicap chase that opens proceedings at Kempton on Thursday.

Dan Skelton’s horse kept on nicely from well off a moderate pace to take third place behind Kalif Du Berlais in a two-mile handicap chase at Newbury last time, a race from which the fourth-placed horse Personal Ambition came out and ran a cracker in a Grade 2 contest at Ascot on Saturday.

He probably would have won, had he not made a bad mistake at the final fence. Asta La Pasta should appreciate the step back up to two and a half miles on Thursday, and he should do better going right-handed.

But he is short and, at a bigger price, Es Perfecto could represent the value of the race.

Alan King’s horse is nine now, older than ideal on the face of it, in a race in which nine of the last 10 winners were six and the other one, last year’s winner Blow Your Wad, was five.

But Es Perfecto is an unusual nine-year-old, a lightly-raced nine-year-old.

Off the track for almost two years after his novice hurdling season, he has raced just seven times over hurdles and just five times over fences, and he shaped last time as if there was more to come.

He could only finish third in this race last year, but he was held up a long way off the pace that day.

A detached last of the eight runners for most of the way, he was still last as they turned for home, but he kept on well to take third place behind Blow Your Wad, who won the Grade 2 Pendil Chase over the same course and distance two runs later.

Es Perfecto was back over that course and distance last time too, for his seasonal debut, and, ridden closer to the pace, he ran out a good winner from the talented, if fragile, Doctor Ken.

The handicapper raised him by 5lb for that win, but he should come on for his seasonal return, and he could still have some leeway off his new mark of 126.

He was rated 134 at his peak over hurdles.

He goes well on good to soft ground, we know that he goes well at the track, over this course and distance and, with Range and El Rio and Leader In The Park and Leave Of Absence in the race, there should be plenty of pace on, which should suit him well. He could out-run his odds by a fair way.

Es Perfecto, 12.45 Kempton, 7/1 (Bet365) or 6/1 (generally), 1 point win

Banbridge, 2.30 Kempton,

5/1 (generally), 1 point win