Kempton Park officials are confident of beating cold snap for King George Chase on Boxing Day

Kempton Park’s Clerk of the course Barney Clifford is confident that the William Hill King George VI Chase festival will beat the current cold snap and go ahead as planned on Boxing Day.

The recent cold snap has already put several National Hunt fixtures on Boxing Day in doubt, with racing at Towcester already abandoned. But Kempton Park has deployed frost covers over the entirety of the track and officials are confident that the course will be ready for racing.

“If we were racing today we’d fall into the same trap as Haydock on Saturday that if we lifted the covers they would freeze behind us, so it’s a good job they are in place. Looking ahead, the temperatures are due to rise from tonight and over the next three or four days,” Clifford said.

“We’ve got some precipitation coming through – showers of rain and sleet – but temperatures are set to rise to four degrees tomorrow and five degrees Christmas Day and hopefully increasing through Boxing Day and December 27. It’s perfectly raceable under the covers, they keep the ground temperature high.

“Prior to employing the covers, we were good to soft and we’ve had 10 millimetres of precipitation but you still couldn’t call it anything other than good. It might ride a bit dead.”

Kempton Park confident King George Chase will be on despite weather forecast

Despite a forecast for wintery weather Kempton Park officials are confident the King George Chase and the William Hill Winter Festival will go ahead.

Brian Clifford, clerk of the course at Kempton Park, said that while the weather forecast predicted a likelihood of snow showers to hit the course that they would take all suitable precautions in order to protect the ground and will lay down special frost mats.

“I’m very optimistic the King George will go ahead,” Clifford said.

“We were raceable on Wednesday despite temperatures dropping to -4C the previous night.

“The King George card has not been called off in my 10 years here, although it was transferred to Sandown in 2005 while the course was redeveloped.

“The frost covers insulate the ground and we have twice managed to have fixtures during my time here despite snowfall, so I’m very optimistic,” Clifford added.

Kauto Star and Ruby Walsh winning the 2008 King George VI Chase

The anticipation of Kauto Star’s attempt to win the 2009 King George Chase and make history has seen ticket sales for the Winter Festival at Kempton Park soar.

Kauto Star has won the last three runnings of the grade 1 King George VI Chase, and a fourth successive win would see the nine year old beat the record held by the legendary and much loved Desert Orchid.

The prospect of seeing one of horse racing’s superstars at Kempton Park, and potentially making history, has seen ticket sales for the two day William Hill Winter Festival up 5% compared to last year. The 400 seat Panoramic Restaurant has already sol out for both days of the festival.

Kempton Park’s managing director Amy Starkey said: “When Desert Orchid was in his heyday, the King George VI Chase was THE sporting event on Boxing Day. Kauto Star is matching the fabulous grey horse’s achievements, and we’re seeing the benefit with a surge in demand for tickets for the Winter Festival.”

“Since Kauto’s recent victory at Haydock Park, our telephones and our website have been red hot with inquiries and interest. The excitement is going to continue building, and I think we will see the nation – as it was in Dessie’s time – gripped by Kauto Star’s brilliance. We’ll have in excess 20,000 people here at the racecourse on Boxing Day – and a massive TV audience on Channel 4 as well.”

The William Hill Winter Festival takes place over two days, December 26 – 27, at Kempton Park. The King George VI Chase is the feature race of the festival and takes place on Boxing Day, December 26.

William Hill Winter Festival Schedule

The schedule for the William Hill Winter Festival has been changed after the King George VI Chase was moved to a later start time. The grade 1 feature also changed from being race 4 to race 5, the second last race of the day. This has also meant that the Sports Betting Handicap Hurdle Race, which was originally race 5, has now moved to become race 2 and all other races on December 26 have shuffled back a position.

The changes are due to Channel 4 broadcast scheduling with the feature grade 1 race now to start at 3:05pm. It is expected that the later start time for the King George Chase will help build anticipation.

You can find the updated schedule below:

Saturday December 26

• Race 1 – 12:45pm: The williamhill.com – Bonus Novices’ Hurdle Race
• Race 2 – 1:20pm: The williamhill.com – Sports Betting Handicap Hurdle Race
• Race 3 – 1:55pm: The williamhill.com Feltham Novices’ Steeple Chase (in memory of Nigel Clark)
• Race 4 – 2:30pm: The williamhill.com Christmas Hurdle Race
• Race 5 – 3:05pm: The William Hill King George VI Steeple Chase
• Race 6 – 3:40pm: The williamhill.com – Poker Novices’ Handicap Steeple Chase

Sunday December 27

• Race 1 – 1:00pm: The williamhill.com – Blackjack Juvenile Novices’ Hurdle Race
• Race 2 – 1:30pm: The williamhill.com Novices’ Steeple Chase (registered as the Wayward Lad Novices’ Steeple Chase)
• Race 3 – 2:05pm: The williamhill.com – Bingo Mares Only Handicap Hurdle Race
• Race 4 – 2:40pm: The williamhill.com Desert Orchid Steeple Chase
• Race 5 – 3:15pm: The williamhill.com – Bonus 25 Handicap Steeple Chase
• Race 6 – 3:45pm: The williamhill.com Casino Handicap Hurdle Race

For full details see the William Hill Winter Festival Schedule.

The King George Chase will start later in the day

This year’s William Hill King George VI Chase will start 25 minutes later than it did last year and has been moved to be the penultimate race on Boxing Day.

The changed programme is due to Channel 4 scheduling and not Kempton Park Racecourse officials. The switch to race 5 from race 4 means the King George Chase will now start at 3:05pm.

The change is seen as a positive move as it is hoped that by having the grade 1 feature race later in the day will build more anticipation.

Barney Clifford, Kempton Park’s Director of Racing, said “Moving the King George is all to do with Channel 4 scheduling. You can build more anticipation and atmosphere with a later King George, so I think this arrangement will help us.”

For full details see the William Hill Winter Festival Schedule.

Kempton Park Panoramic Restaurant sold out for Winter Festival

Tickets sales are going well for this year’s William Hill Winter Festival at Kempton Park. The Panoramic Restaurant is already sold out for both days of the Festival, December 26 and 27.

General tickets sales reported on Thursday are up 5% on those from the same time in 2008.

A highlight of the Kempton Park Racecourse, the 400 seat Panoramic Restaurant is set over three tiers and gives race goers not only a great view of the track but also a stylish dining venue. Each table features a plasma screen so you can watch all of the action in detail and tote facilitates are on hand.

UK bookmaker William Hill is the new sponsor of the King George VI Chase in a four year deal that includes the Winter Festival at Kempton Park.

The two day Christmas event will now be known as the William Hill Winter Festival. William Hill also have naming rights to all of the races across the two days including the King George Chase, Christmas Hurdle, Desert Orchid Chase and Feltham Chase, all premier events on the National Hunt calendar.

While the deal was thought to be around £5 million, William Hill spokesman, David Hood dismissed this “This is far and away our biggest sponsorship. It is a seven-figure deal over the four years – we have not disclosed the exact details, but it isn’t anywhere near the £4m or £5m. The total prize-money [of all the races involved] is over £5m but that’s not the contribution made by Hill’s. I’d like to give them £5m but there isn’t quite that available.”

Amy Starkey, Kempton Park’s Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to have reached an agreement on a four-year sponsorship for Kempton Park’s flagship jumps meeting of the year. The William Hill Winter Festival will further strengthen the racecourse, and we will now work with Hills to enhance what is a superb advertisement for our sport.”

This is great news for the King George Chase as well as Kempton Park, as it secures the future of this great race until 2012. And if you want to have a bet on this year’s race then you can with William Hill.