About
King George VI Chase is a British horse race held at Kempton Park, Sunbury annually on 26th December. The Group 1 National Hunt steeplechase is restricted to horses four years old and above. During the 3 miles (4,828 meters) run, the horses have to jump eighteen fences.
The race, named after the British monarch has prize money of £200,000. It prides itself as one of the most
prestigious chases in the country.
History
King George VI Chase was first held on February 26, 1937, and only four runners took part. Southern Hero was 12
years when he won the first race. He and is the oldest horse to win the competition.
Between 1939 and 1945, the race was canceled due to WWII. When it returned in 1947, it was moved to Boxing Day. The race was first televised in 1949. The race has also been abandoned on several occasions due to bad weather (1961, 1962, 1967, 1970, and 1981) and foot and mouth disease (1968).
Records
Kauto Star holds the record with the most wins while his jockey, Ruby Walsh holds the same for jockeys. Walsh has
won five times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011) with Kauto Star.
Paul Nicholls is the most successful trainer at the event. The British trainer has recorded nine wins with three
different horses, Silviniaco Conti being the most recent one in 2014.
Lochroe, Desert Orchid, and Kauto Star are the only horses with six appearances.
In 1950 Manicou, won the race at the age of five and remains the youngest winner of the competition, quite a feat for such a young horse, which is probably why it hasn’t been replicated.
Previous Winners
On December 26, 2017, Nico de Boinville, riding Might Bite, finished first to become the champion.
In 2016, Tom Scudamore was the winner with Thistlecrack. Noel Fehily won the 2013 and 2014 event riding Silviniaco Conti. Long Run was the 2012 champion under Sam Waley-Cohen, an English amateur jockey.