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Stan James Christmas Festival
Kempton Park
The Stan James King George VI Chase is one of the most historic races in the jumps calendar and has come to be regarded as the mid-season championship for the top chasers.
As the centrepiece of an action-packed programme of top-class jump racing over the Christmas and New Year holiday period, King George day provides a feast of entertainment and always attracts a bumper crowd.
Part of the King George’s appeal is that it provides a different test to the season’s other staying championship chase – the Cheltenham Gold Cup. It is run over a flat three miles (compared to Cheltenham’s undulating three-and-a-quarter miles) and the sharp track puts the emphasis on speed as well as stamina.
First run in 1937 in honour of a new monarch, the King George has an illustrious roll of honour with dual winner Pendil, in the 1970s, Wayward Lad (a hat-trick hero in 1982, ’83 and ’85) and four-time winner Desert Orchid (1986, ’88, ’89 and ’90) carving their names in the history books chiefly through their exciting exploits in the King George.
King George day also features two other Grade 1 races – the Stan James Christmas Hurdle (2m) and the Network Design Feltham Novices’ Chase (3m). Like the King George, they rank as two of the most prestigious races of their type in the mid-season programme.
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