On Boxing Day.....
 

..... we'll remember you, Dessie.

In life he had wings too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYYV-...eature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-TSOfFuyU8


http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/a...id_153795a.jpg

On a happier note, It will be a great day's racing at Kempton on Boxing Day. Wish I could make it down there.

I'm sure many people will be reliving the 'Dessie' days. He has a lovely statue there, and a pub just down the road named after him.

Look.....

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2336/...5d8d86d94f.jpg

That's the only thing that's made me smile all day. Thank you :)

He knew he was a star

I was going to copy the story about this years King George over from Racing Post, but it looks like they've stopped you doing it now :(

Only a small but select field entered for the race on Boxing Day.

The list headed by Kauto Star and Exotic Dancer.

No Monet's Garden though :(

From RP......

by Rodney Masters
.



THE odds-on Kauto Star will face a maximum of seven rivals on Wednesday in his bid for back-to-back wins in the King George VI Chase, and his opposition will include a markedly sharper My Way De Solzen than the one he thrashed at Haydock five weeks earlier.

A 13-2 chance with race sponsor Stan James, My Way De Solzen has logged plenty of work at Barbury Castle since his distant sighting of Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase, and according to trainer Alan King there should be no excuse on the fitness front when they meet again in the Boxing Day feature.

The dual Cheltenham Festival winner blew for 35 minutes after his defeat at Haydock, and King blamed himself for leaving the seven-year-old short of work prior to that first run of the season.

“Since Haydock, he worked on the following Wednesday and has worked twice a week since then, and he'll work again on Saturday,” King said on Thursday.

”I'm very happy with him, he has done a lot of work since Haydock and he'll be straighter. If the weather forecast is right, he'll have a school on Monday.”

If all eight entries make the final line-up, it will be the smallest field for the King George since Florida Pearl beat seven rivals in 2001. Over the past 20 years, the race has attracted a double figure field on five occasions. Five runners went to post in 1988 and 1996.

Ollie Magern, who was last of the seven finishers behind Kauto Star last year, will be an absentee.
Nigel Twiston-Davies said the Charlie Hall Chase winner had undergone a bone scan. “He's still in work but obviously when a horse has a bone scan they're not going to be running for a while, and so Boxing Day is out of the equation.”

David Pipe's Our Vic, a 25-1 chance with the sponsors, is set to make his first appearance since finishing a well-beaten third to Exotic Dancer at Aintree's Grand National meeting. The trainer appreciates the enormity of the task awaiting Our Vic, and said yesterday it was probably the nine-year-old's toughest challenge.

“As everybody knows, these good horses have very few options. With him having had a slight setback earlier in the year our hand was forced somewhat. He may seem to have been around for ages but he is only nine, going on ten, and he still has come good races in him. Our Vic can be a bit in and out sometimes but like we always say, we wouldn't mind a few more like him.”

Hi Cloy, a 66-1 chance trained by Michael Hourigan, is the sole entry from Ireland, but he has an alternative option at home. Hourigan said on Thursday.

“We haven't decided whether he goes to Kempton or to Leopardstown for the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase on Thursday. They are both hotraces. I'll probably make up my mind tomorrow.”

Also a 66-1 shot is the Evan Williams-trained Lord Jay Jay, a front-runner who returned from a tendon injury to win at Ascot last month.

:( I loved Desert Orchid. He was such a sweet sweet horse, and the most beautiful horse to watch race.

From RP.....

O'Neill reports Exotic in top form but wishes race was being held elsewhere

by Tom Peacock

JONJO O'NEILL has given Exotic Dancer a clean bill of health ahead of the Stan James King George VI Chase on Boxing Day.

However, the Jackdaws Castle handler feels Cheltenham, rather than Kempton, is the place where his top-class performer is seen in the best light.

O'Neill's yard is having a quiet spell of late, with few runners and no winners in recent days.

But the trainer insists all is well with Exotic Dancer, who has yet another attempt to finally get one over on reigning champion Kauto Star on Tuesday.

“He's never been wrong, but he's never beaten Kauto Star either," said O'Neill.

"The horse is in grand old form, but I'm not really sure Kempton is the track for him - I would prefer it to be at Cheltenham.

"The ground should be fine - probably his best run was at Aintree (when winning the Betfair Bowl) on fast ground last season so it should not worry him at all."

The Evan Williams-trained Lord Jay Jay was the only absentee from the entries for the race, leaving seven declared.

Alongside Kauto Starand Exotic Dancer - the first two home last year - will be third-placed Racing Demon, My Way De Solzen, Hi Cloy, Our Vic and Taranis, a stablemate of Kauto Star.

Our Vic, David Pipe's able but inconsistent performer, found Exotic Dancer too good in the Betfair Bowl and the Letheby And Christopher Chase. He was also narrowly beaten by Taranis in the Ryanair Chase.

However, the nine-year-old produced a fine performance first time out last year in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby - which gives his in-form trainer a morsel of encouragement.

“It's very tough - probably the hardest race he has run in in his life," said Pipe.

"I think his betting shows what sort of chance he has but that said, he does run very well fresh.

"It will be a nice small field and three miles around Kempton should suit him perfectly"

Getting very confused as to who is in which race.....

Our Vic, who is he facing? Thanks.

Kauto Star
Taranis
Exotic Dancer
Our Vic
Hi Cloy
My Way De Solzen
Racing Demon

Oh wow, some field!

I'm not sure. It's the smallest King George field for quite a few years now, AND I was expecting my big grey, camera shy boy there :( I thought Monet's would have a great chance.

Kauto keeps beating the same horses, and it doesn't really prove much, ya know?

No one expects him to lose here, In a way I hope he does, just to spice things up a bit for the new year but if not It's going to be a straight clash between him and Denman, as they are both trained by the same guy they won't face eachother until The Gold Cup.

Yeah but it's a field of stars.

Monet is pointing to something in February? Is that right?

No Monk or Voy Por for the holidays?

Yes, Monet's is being pointed at the race he won at Ascot last season as far as I'm aware :)

No Monk, he will be out again sometime in the New Year.

Voy Por could run on the 27th in the Desert Orchid chase :)

I will be at Kempton on Boxing Day. Very much looking to see Kauto Star run.

Exotic Dancer got close to him last time, but from what I have read, he doesn't like running at Kempton.

I am just excited to go as it will be my first racing experience overseas.

I hope you have a great experience at Kempton. Racing in Europe, in particular, Britian and Ireland is miles better than here in the States. Diversity in racing (jumps or flat), diversity in betting (tote or bookies), diversity in racecourses (every manner of configuration; uphill and downhill).

During my visit to Kempton (Oct 85), I had the chance to see the great Desert Orchid. Unfortunately, he broke my heart (and my wallet) by falling at the second last, while in front by at least 20 lengths. Still, it was a great thrill to have an opportunity to see this exceptional horse race.

I hope you have the chance to post letting us know how your day went.

Best of luck.

Yes, best of luck, ARyan.

I'm sure you'll have a really enjoyable day at Kempton. Make sure you go and see Dessie's statue near the paddock.

Maybe you can also get a closer look at the polytrack surface there, and see if the substance seems to any different from the problem polytrack surfaces in the States.

You will be treated by a fine day of racing, that is for sure. I'd prefer to see more horses in the King George, but it is a very select field this year. Although Kauto will be VERY difficult to beat, all the others (apart from Hi Cloy) would have some sort of chance.

The Feltham Novices chase is also a great race, always so competitive.

I gather you're in England now? If so, go out to the nearest store and but today's Racing Post newspaper. It will have all the runners and form etc for all the meets on Boxing Day.

Good luck.

If you need anymore info on the track or the betting options, don;t be afraid to ask, and I'm sure me Brock and Saratogabrit can give you all of the information you need.

Have a great time.

Oh, and it isn't quite as much as he doesn't like racing at Kempton, it's more that the track doesn't really suit his style of racing.

Kempton is a very flat track (which you will see when you get there) and for a National Hunt track, the turns are quite tight. The King George is over 3miles, and we say that Kempton is a very 'easy' 3miles. So if you have a horse with stamina limitations, the easiest place to run over 3miles is Kempton. Exotic Dancer has a huge amount of stamina and would prefer further than 3miles, so Kempton doesn't really suit him as much as some of the 'speedier' types, like Kauto Star, Racing Demon and My Way De Solzen.

Will you get to attend anymore race meetings while you are here?

I dont think Ill ever get to Kempton on St. Stephen's Day . Ill be at Leopardstown on Wed which has a decent enough card but everyones eyes are usually on Kempton. id fancy exotic dancer alot more if jonjos horses were in form.. and with 7 runners its hard to get an each way hore.. I could be tempted by My Way if he drifts a bit.

I am going to the Welsh National the next day. Spending most of my 8 days in Wales, but wanted to make sure I went to the King George.

My wife and I actually leave for London tomorrow evening, and land at 8am on Boxing Day at Gatwick. We get the rental and head right to Kempton. I got the runners and form off the Racing Post website, but at the track will there be a hard copy I can get my hands on?

Also, any info you can post here or PM me would be greatly appreciated. I am not really all that aware of the betting options and what not. I have been told it is different, but I was hoping to pick it up when I got to the track. Any info you all can give before I leave would be much appreciated.

Thanks all, and I will post some pictures of the event when I get back for you all to see.

I hope all the flights are sorted by then. Not to worry you but they have had dense fog in London over the past 48hrs, and although it has cleared now, almost all flights arriving into and leaving both Heathrow and Gatwick have been delayed as there is a back log.

I'm sure it will be back to normal of boxing day, though.

Yes, there will be plenty of copies at the track for you to purchase (£1.60, I think)

There are two betting opportunities over here. You can bet into the pools (The Tote) which is rather like how you bet in America. Go up to the windows and select your bets and the number of the horse(s) you wish to be placing money on. win, place and each way as well as exactas, trifectas etc etc There could also be what is known as a 'scoop six' which involves picking the six winners from six specified races from around the country (usually the most difficult races are used!)

Then there are the rails 'bookies', which can be found between the main grandstands and the track itself. There will be dozens of them there. They will be accepting any win only or each way bets. These bets are fixed odds, so whatever time you place you bet you will be given the odds that are written on the board at that given time. That means you could get a very good price, or a very bad one, so it's good to 'shop around' and get the best available. The majority of these bookies will accept a minimum of a £2 bet, but some are £5 or £10 minimum.

Hope this helps.

That helps a lot! Thank you!

I hope the flights go as planned as well. We land early enough that even with a slight delay we should be able to get to Kempton in plenty of time.

Also, perhaps someone can let me know if we were able to get decent seats;

We have 2 Premier badges, 2 reserved seats and 1 car park label for the Main Car Park. We were told this was the best we could buy, when we put in a reservation in early fall.

I am sure we will have a great time, and we are very much looking forward to it. Thanks again.

Racing here is quite different. Most racegoers don't usually bother with seats, but the seats we do have up to be reserved are often worth the reservation. I can't say I've ever sat in the seating area, but I would imagine they would be pretty good.

The premier enclosure is the best enclosure there is, so you will be in good company.

The main car park is close to the main entrance and is now much better than it used to be.

The weather should be much milder than usual. We're expecting around 10-11 degrees C, with showers.

You say you'll be at Chepstow the following day. I've never been there, but what I can say is that it usually rains there, I'm sorry to say.

Have a great time and Merry Christmas to you. :)

I was expecting rain, so I will not let that bother my trip. Thanks for all your input, it is very much appreciated!

No problem. I hope you enjoy your visit.

Have a great time.

Thank you very much, or as they say in Wales, Diolch yn fawr iawn!

You have a Merry Christmas as well!

As a racecourse, you will probably enjoy Chepstow more than Kempton, as it in the country and more scenic. The enclosure and paddock are very nice; and the racing should be very good.

Since you will be in Wales for 8 days, you may want to try and check out the other Welsh racecourse, Bangor. They race on Saturday, 12/29. The level of racing will not be as high, but Bangor would still be an enjoyable day out. The one draw back about Bangor is they do not have an enclosure. There is a rather large hill that overlooks the racecourse that serves as a natrual grandstand.

I am heading to Bangor, as I have family there (as well as where my grandparents were born). Not sure we had planned it for the 29th, but now plans may have to change. ;)

Sounds like your going to have a great trip. Will this be your first experience with National Hunt (jump) racing?

Only been to steeplechase racing here in the States (mostly at Saratoga).

Based on your location, I figured you would have seen the hurdle races at Saratoga. I think you will find racing over fences very exciting. If possible, try to get as close as you can to one of the fences or hurdles and watch the racing/jumping up close.

All the best for a safe and enjoyable trip.

seeing Harchibald looming up to win the Christmas hurdle will be one of the most exciting things you'll see on a racecourse. It just looks so so good..

Thanks! I am very much looking forward to leaving tomorrow!!

Instead of actually working at work today, I am on youtube watching all of Kauto Star and others races.

I hope you're not speaking too soon. I fully expect him to win on Weds, but there is a BIG noise for Punjabi over here.

I like Punjabi, he's a smashing little horse, but if Harchibald was able to mow Rooster down, he'll take care of Punjabi and the rest... some nice little races all over the country and ireland on the 26th.. just going through them now

I agree, I'd be very surprised and somewhat disappointed if Harch couldn't deal with Punjabi, but that is the only name I've been hearing in the last few days.

The Henderson camp are very sweet on him.

Just seen that Perce Rock takes on Sky's The Limit in the novice chase at Leopardstown.

That is a nice little contest between those two, and I must say two novices that I was really looking forward to this year, so choosing one of them would be impossible for me. Perce Rock would probably prefer softer conditions, though.

Oh Dear Harchibald.

The horse just doesn't want it. What do you think, Brock? A very nice horse, but when it comes down to it, there are other horses who want it more than he does.