Ladbrokes King George (Grade 1)

IT’S surely only a matter of time before movie scriptwriters latch on to the story of €850 purchase Hewick, and while his career until Christmas had been something of a fairytale with wins in the Galway Plate, Bet365 Gold Cup and American Grand National, he took the script into scarcely believable territory by landing an unlikely win in the Grade 1 Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day.

Trained by Shark Hanlon and ridden by Gavin Sheehan, the 12/1 chance maximised his chance of Hollywood immortality by winning, having appeared the first horse beaten in a race of rapidly changing fortunes. Hewick never looked comfortable in the early stages as Frodon set a fair pace on ground riding close to good, and when Shishkin sailed into the lead at the 13th fence, the race tempo increased, with Bravemansgame and Allaho moving closer as Frodon felt the pinch. The Real Whacker worked hard to stay in touch, but Hewick was 10 lengths adrift and struggling to find a rhythm.

Turning into the straight, it seemed like Shishkin was in pole position, moving easily as both Allaho and Bravemansgame were niggled along to challenge, but having jumped the penultimate fence well, Shishkin stumbled, pitching Nico de Boinville up his neck and gravity then took over, with the rider unable to halt his forward momentum and dumped unceremoniously on the turf as a result.

That dramatic departure left Allaho in front of Bravemansgame, but both were tiring and approaching the last it was clear that Hewick, who had been picking off the backmarkers, was staying on to have a real shout. With Allaho’s stamina running out on the run-in, Sheehan rousted Hewick to challenge and the eight-year-old hit the front with barely 50 yards left to run, passing the post a length and a half to the good, with Bravemansgame (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) getting past Allaho (Willie Mullins) to steal second by a head.

The winning rider surprised ITV Racing viewers by admitting: “If it wasn’t the King George, I probably would’ve pulled up!

“I knew that he stays and stays but I just wasn’t able to get going. There’s only a certain amount of questions you can ask them and if they’re not responding, you can’t ask.

“Shark said he’s probably the smallest horse here, but he’s got the biggest heart and that perfectly sums him up. I was absolutely delighted to get the call from Shark - it was a no-brainer. To come here and do it like that was amazing.”

Unreal

“It’s unreal,” said Hanlon, to sum up the general air of disbelief. “I said to Gavin ‘listen, he will stay all day’ but they went very hard, and he just couldn’t lay up with them. On a tougher track it will be a better job for him, but we are here today, and he won which is amazing.

“Coming out of the back I thought we’d definitely be in the first three because he was just getting into a rhythm and just getting going. They were going plenty hard in front.

“I was watching a programme in the week and Ruby knocked him and I said ‘we’re flying now’ because every time Ruby knocks him, we win! It’s straight to Cheltenham now. It’s probably the wrong race as he should go for the English National but there is only one Gold Cup.”

Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle (Grade 1)

CHAMPION Hurdler Constitution Hill made his fans wait after being withdrawn from the Fighting Fifth Hurdle earlier in the month, but absence makes the heart grow fonder, and he delighted all who watched him glide to an effortless victory in the Grade 1 Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on St Stephen’s Day.

Nicky Henderson’s charge was sent off the 1/12 favourite, and while those odds were prohibitive for most backers, few were complaining as he showed all his old dash and jumped impeccably to outclass his four rivals.

Rubaud (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden) made the running and ended up the nearest pursuer in the finish, running on to be beaten nine and a half lengths after being headed by the winner at the penultimate flight.

Clearly enjoying the spectacle, a smiling Henderson said: “It is still the same watching him. You are never going to get used to it, but you have got to try to enjoy it if it is possible. It is nice that it all still works as it is a long time since April and a lot of things can happen in that time. His technique is absolutely unbelievable as his margin for error is so small. He has to be so accurate.

“I’ve not seen one jump better; that’s the great secret to all these good two-milers, and we have been very lucky over the years going way back when with See You Then, and then Binocular, Epatante and Buveur D’Air – it is the way they get from A to B.

“We had this discussion in the summer to jump fences, but what was there to be gained by doing it? He is very good at this. Is an Arkle and a Champion Chase going to change anybody’s life?

“We missed the Fighting Fifth so there is no reason why we shouldn’t look at the International Hurdle at Cheltenham on Trials day as an extra run, which he is here to do. We want to race him.”

Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase (Grade 1)

RACING in the colours of Englishman Richard Kelvin-Hughes, ridden by English jockey James Reveley and trained in partnership by another Englishman in Noel George, the exciting Il Est Francais jumped like a buck to win the Grade 1 Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on his British debut.

The five-year-old was a Grade 1 winner over hurdles, but has the looks of a chaser and impressed when outclassing rivals in listed company over fences at Auteuil last month, and he made a deep impression up in class and trip here; jumping soundly bar a slight error at the final ditch, he put his rivals to the sword when winging the next fence and quickened again from the second-last to win by 11 lengths from Hermes Allen (Paul Nicholls/Harry Cobden), who did little wrong in defeat other than come up against a superstar.

Kilbeg King (Anthony Honeyball/Sam Twiston-Davies) stayed on from further back to finish third, a further three and a quarter lengths away.

The winner posted a time over three seconds faster than the King George despite the two races being run in similar time until the home straight. Such comparisons are often fraught with danger, and Il Est Francais carried 3lb less than Hewick, but there is no denying that he looks the real deal at the tender age of five. The winner is trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, while breeder Nicolas de Lageneste of Haras de Saint-Voir has retained a half share in the gelding.

French Gold Cup

George, the son of Slad trainer Tom George, said: “It is not very nice to watch as you always have your stomach in your throat. When you see him in the morning and I say he takes your breath away, he does.

“I was just nervous about him coming over here and showing how good he is. I know he is the real deal. He doesn’t have to go in front, he has just got that cruising speed. I never work him in front at home as he does too much. He always sits in behind and quickens past them.

“He is a horse with so many different options. The dream this season is to win the French Gold Cup, as his breeder did everything he did to keep him trained in France to win a French Gold Cup and that is our main aim this season.

“A French Gold Cup then a King George here next year is very much what we would be thinking, but whether we go to Cheltenham we would have to see. The first day we schooled him over a French fence he did it like an old handicapper. He adapts so easily. I was pretty confident, but you are never 100% sure when you come across the Channel. Now we can dream that he is a real superstar.

“Richard Kelvin-Hughes invested a lot of money in this horse, and trusted us, and his dream is to win a Cheltenham Gold Cup and if we could do both that would be amazing. We take each step as it comes. This is our first year training as we got our licence in January. The horse won a Grade 1 under Dad’s name last November, so officially it is our first Grade 1.”

A win in the “Grand Steep” would be nothing new for Reveley who has won the race three times, but although So French won that big race twice under him, he had no hesitation in nominating Il Est Francais as the best he’s ridden. This was the multiple French champion jockey’s first win in Britain since 2016 and his first domestic Grade 1.

Kempton Wednesday

EDITEUR Du Gite was a shock winner of the Desert Orchid Chase in 2022 when the race was run for the final time as an open Grade 2, and Gary Moore’s charge was back to his best when making almost every yard in the race’s new guise as a limited handicap, winning at odds of 5/1.

Again ridden by Niall Houlihan, the topweight had no easy task on paper conceding weight to the likes of Boothill and Nube Negra having finished last in the Shloer Chase at Cheltenham on his return, but he shrugged aside that rare lifeless effort and proved tremendously game as he withheld the challenge of Elixir De Nutz up the straight, finally turning that rival aside after a better jump two from home. Nube Negra got up close home to grab second place but was three lengths adrift of the popular winner at the line.

Market leader Boothill was still travelling comfortably when he took off too early at the eighth fence and fell, and it was superior jumping which won the day for Editeur Du Gite as much as anything, with Elixir Du Nutz almost alongside when that one walked through the penultimate fence, ending any hopes he had of winning.

“All the staff worked hard over Christmas and to see him come back today was very special, especially in a handicap,” said Moore.

“I think it was because he was able to lead today and dominate without being forced to. The other horse kept him company and just kept him honest.

“He will probably get further on a sharp track like this, so you’ve got to make plenty of use of him and he was always going to stay on. His next race will be the Game Spirit at Newbury because he is slightly better going left-handed. Then you’ve got to have an entry in the Champion Chase, because he’s not getting any younger and it’s probably his last chance.”