The King George VI Chase run at Kempton on Boxing Day has a history of producing multiple winners and attempting to follow the likes of Desert Orchid, One Man, See More Business and Kauto Star will be the Nicky Henderson-trained Long Run, who announced his arrival at the top of the chasing tree when landing the race last season.

Staged three weeks later than originally intended due to the inclement weather that last year's festive period brought, the pre-race it was all about one horse - Kauto Star - who was bidding for a historic fifth consecutive win in the race. However, Kauto failed to fire and it was left to the young pretender Long Run, under amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen, to lead home a Nicky Henderson one-two, defeating stablemate Riverside Theatre by 12 lengths, with Kauto Star a further seven back in third. The victory of Long Run appeared to signify a changing of the guard, which was reinforced when he went on to land the Gold Cup at Cheltenham in March, in doing so becoming the first six-year-old to triumph since Mill House in 1963.

Kauto Star bounced back from his King George disappointment to take a creditable third behind Long Run in the Gold Cup, but a lacklustre effort when pulled up at Punchestown in April seemed to signal that his star was fading, and the cries for sending the great horse into a well-deserved retirement were louder than ever.

However, Champion trainer Paul Nicholls knows his horse best, and he was adamant that the fire still burned and that he had Kauto Star as good as ever prior to his seasonal return, against Long Run in the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November. 

Nicholls was proved spot on as Kauto Star jumped and galloped his rivals into submission from the front, bringing the house down as he came clear for a memorable victory over old adversary Long Run, who could never get on terms after being forced into a number of jumping errors. The King George was mooted as a potential next target for Kauto Star, but the fact that he was primed for the Betfair Chase and had a hard run there means Long Run is fancied to reverse the form should they both line up at the Sunbury venue.

Fourth in the Betfair Chase was Nick Williams' Diamond Harry, who had missed his intended seasonal reappearance in the Charlie Hall two weeks before as a result of banging his off-hind leg on the morning of the race. Last season's Hennessy winner has 18 lengths to make up on Kauto Star on that Haydock running and, as a horse that has tended to go well fresh in the past, it is difficult to see him turning the tables come Boxing Day.

If Kauto Star does fail to make the line-up (connections will apparently wait until nearer the time to decide on his participation), owner Clive Smith and trainer Paul Nicholls will still hold leading claims in the form of dual Champion Chase winner Master Minded, who has had his whole campaign geared around the Kempton showpiece. Short of match practice when getting turned over on his return behind Albertas Run at Aintree in October, Master Minded made no mistake in beating Somersby in the Amlin Chase at Ascot last time. Although he's yet to have his stamina tested over trips further than two and a half miles, Master Minded will nevertheless be trained to the minute and will be to a danger to all, as the flat Kempton track should give him every chance of seeing out the extra distance.

Henrietta Knight's Somersby, runner-up to Master Minded at Ascot, again filled second spot behind Gauvain in the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon earlier this month. The way Somersby ran on to take second at Huntingdon lends weight to the fact that he will be suited by the step up to three miles, but he's again likely to come up short.

Captain Chris was due to line up against both Master Minded and Somersby in the aforementioned Amlin Chase at Ascot, but had to be taken out the day before the race as a result of a bad scope. Undoubtedly last season's leading novice, with the Arkle at Cheltenham among his victories, Philip Hobbs's Captain Chris had looked set to make a winning return to action before unseating at the last in the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter. Captain Chris is already a three-time winner around Kempton and shapes as if the three-mile trip will be well within his compass, but having also missed a possible engagement in the Peterborough Chase earlier this month, his current well-being has to be of some concern.

Riverside Theatre, runner-up to Long Run in the latest edition of the King George has already been reported by trainer Nicky Henderson as unlikely to be ready in time after injury, and whilst recent Sandown winner Golan Way remains on course for the race, it would be a major surprise if he proves anywhere near good enough. Tom George's Nacarat has a good record at the course and is a previous winner of the Racing Post Chase over course and distance, but he appears to be exposed as just below the top level and is likely to find a number of these too strong in the closing stages.

Always one of the focal points in the jumping calendar this season's King George is shaping up to be an intriguing renewal. Reigning champion Long Run is going to be very hard to beat once again, but that's reflected in his price (2.46) and it could be worth taking a chance on the stamina of Master Minded. To date, the horse has had his whole season geared around peaking for Boxing Day and, as Paul Nicholls showed with Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase, there is no one better than getting horses trained to perfection for the big day.

Recommendation

Back Master Minded @ 6.8 with Betfair to win the King George VI Chase at Kempton