What a great race for the King George and how dare the Jockey Club think of moving the great race. The decision would be shameful for racing, as Greg Wood made clear here. Meanwhile myself and Greg will be back here for the Saturday racing which includes the Welsh Grand National. See you then!
Harry Redknapp wins a thrilling King George with The Jukebox Man
The Jukebox Man, carrying the colours of the high-profile former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp, came out on top in an epic renewal of the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.
A quality field of eight assembled for the Boxing Dayhighlight, with the Willie Mullins-trained pair of Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File joined at the head of the betting by Nicky Henderson’s recent Ascot winner Jango Baie.
After tracking the pacesetting Il Est Francais for much of the three-mile journey, Ben Pauling’s The Jukebox Man (7-1) moved to the lead before the final bend under Ben Jones, but the runners were tightly grouped as they straightened up for home.
There were still four in with a chance jumping the final fence, with The Jukebox Man, Gaelic Warrior, Jango Baie and last year’s winner Banbridge right there, but after a stirring battle and tense wait it was The Jukebox Man who was called a nose in front of the Joseph O’Brien-trained Banbridge.
The emotional owner said after the race:“That’s a dream and to have a horse that good is unbelievable. I love the game, to come here on King Georgeday and just run made me so proud, but to have the winner is special.
“What a race he has run and he jumped unbelievable. When they came to him I thought he was beat and would finish fourth, but he’s come again and the guts the horse has shown is just amazing.”
Pauling, meanwhile, said of the incredible finish: “It really is the moment where you score the winning goal in the cup final with a minute to go. It’s as tight as it gets and I had no idea how we got on. The cameras thought he won, but I didn’t want to believe it until I heard that tannoy.
“It’s something very special and Harry has been an exceptional owner for me and we’ve always had a huge amount of luck. I’ve always had huge faith in this horse and so has Harry as well.
“We’ve won Festival races and we’ve won Grade Ones, but this is the best we’ve achieved to date, this is a pretty good Christmas present. I said to Ben going out ‘don’t hate me, but I want you to be as brave as you can be’. Ben got it perfect and went from fence to fence. The only one he got in tight to was the last, to get back up again was incredible as no one was stopping. He’s a character with a big engine and a big heart.
“It’s very exciting for the future. You would be daft not to go to the Gold Cup now and what a race that will be.”
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