King George VI Chase

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The King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race in the United Kingdom for four-year-old and above horses. It is run over a distance of 3 miles (4,828 metres) at Kempton Park Racecourse on Boxing Day. There are eighteen fences to be jumped in the race. Prior to the re-development of Kempton in 2005, which included the removal of a water-jump, the race had nineteen obstacles.

It was first run in February 1937 and was named in honour of the new monarch, King George VI.

The race did not immediately earn the prestige it has today. It was only run twice before World War II, during which Kempton Park was closed for racing and used as a prisoner-of-war camp. The pre-war races only attracted four runners each - the winner of the first, Southern Hero, remains the oldest ever winner of the race.

After the war the course re-opened and the race returned in 1947 on a new date - Boxing Day. When it was won the following year by Cottage Rake, a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, the race rose in stature and in 1949 it was televised for the first time.

The King George VI Chase is now surpassed in prestige only by the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Many horses have won it more than once (nine between 1973 and 2005), with Desert Orchid, one of the most famous and popular winners, successful a record four times. Triple Cheltenham Gold Cup winners Arkle and Best Mate both also won this race, and in 2004 and 2005 the race was won by Kicking King.

[edit] Winners

Year
Winner
Age
Jockey
Trainer
1937 Southern Hero 12 J. Fawcus G. Evans
1938 Airgead Sios 8 T. McNeill V. Tabor
1939 no race 1939-46 *
1947 Rowland Roy 8 Bryan Marshall Fulke Walwyn
1948 Cottage Rake 9 Aubrey Brabazon Vincent O'Brien
1949 Finnure 8 Dick Francis George Beeby
1950 Manicou 5 Bryan Marshall Peter Cazalet
1951 Statecraft 6 Tony Grantham Peter Cazalet
1952 Halloween 7 Fred Winter Bill Wightman
1953 Galloway Braes 8 Bert Morrow Alec Kilpatrick
1954 Halloween 9 Fred Winter Bill Wightman
1955 Limber Hill 8 Jimmy Power Bill Dutton
1956 Rose Park 10 Michael Scudamore Peter Cazalet
1957 Mandarin 6 Gerry Madden Fulke Walwyn
1958 Lochroe 10 Arthur Freeman Peter Cazalet
1959 Mandarin 8 Gerry Madden Fulke Walwyn
1960 Saffron Tartan 9 Fred Winter Don Butchers
1961 no race 1961-62 *
1963 Mill House 6 Willie Robinson Fulke Walwyn
1964 Frenchman's Cove 9 Stan Mellor Harry Thomson Jones
1965 Arkle 8 Pat Taaffe Tom Dreaper
1966 Dormant 9 Jeff King John Wells-Kendrew
1967 no race 1967-68 *
1969 Titus Oates 7 Stan Mellor Gordon W. Richards
1970 no race 1970 *
1971 The Dikler 8 Barry Brogan Fulke Walwyn
1972 Pendil 7 Richard Pitman Fred Winter
1973 Pendil 8 Richard Pitman Fred Winter
1974 Captain Christy 7 Bobby Coonan Pat Taaffe
1975 Captain Christy 8 Gerry Newman Pat Taaffe
1976 Royal Marshall II 9 Graham Thorner Tim Forster
1977 Bachelor's Hall 7 Martin O'Halloran Peter Cundell
1978 Gay Spartan 7 Tommy Carmody Tony Dickinson
1979 Silver Buck 7 Tommy Carmody Tony Dickinson
1980 Silver Buck 8 Tommy Carmody Tony Dickinson
1981 no race 1981 *
1982 Wayward Lad 7 John Francome Michael Dickinson
1983 Wayward Lad 8 Robert Earnshaw Michael Dickinson
1984 Burrough Hill Lad 8 John Francome Jenny Pitman
1985 Wayward Lad 10 Graham Bradley Monica Dickinson
1986 Desert Orchid 7 Simon Sherwood David Elsworth
1987 Nupsala 8 André Pommier François Doumen
1988 Desert Orchid 9 Simon Sherwood David Elsworth
1989 Desert Orchid 10 Richard Dunwoody David Elsworth
1990 Desert Orchid 11 Richard Dunwoody David Elsworth
1991 The Fellow 6 Adam Kondrat François Doumen
1992 The Fellow 7 Adam Kondrat François Doumen
1993 Barton Bank 7 Adrian Maguire David Nicholson
1994 Algan 6 Philippe Chevalier François Doumen
1995 One Man * 8 Richard Dunwoody Gordon W. Richards
1996 One Man 8 Richard Dunwoody Gordon W. Richards
1997 See More Business 7 Andrew Thornton Paul Nicholls
1998 Teeton Mill 9 Norman Williamson Venetia Williams
1999 See More Business 9 Mick Fitzgerald Paul Nicholls
2000 First Gold 7 Thierry Doumen François Doumen
2001 Florida Pearl 9 Adrian Maguire Willie Mullins
2002 Best Mate 7 Tony McCoy Henrietta Knight
2003 Edredon Bleu 11 Jim Culloty Henrietta Knight
2004 Kicking King 6 Barry Geraghty Tom Taaffe
2005 Kicking King * 7 Barry Geraghty Tom Taaffe
2006 Kauto Star 6 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls
2007 Kauto Star 7 Ruby Walsh Paul Nicholls

* Abandonments / Postponements / Venue Changes:
1939-46 - Kempton Park closed for racing during World War II and used as a reception centre for prisoners-of-war.
1961, 1962, 1967 - abandoned because of frost.
1968 - abandoned because of foot-and-mouth disease restrictions.
1970 - abandoned because of snow.
1981 - abandoned because of snow and frost.
1995 - postponed at Kempton Park on Boxing Day due to snow and frost, switched to Sandown Park on January 6, 1996.
2005 - run at Sandown Park as Kempton Park was closed for re-development.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

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