Racing: local star Smad Place could wake you up on Boxing Day
Smad Place before the Hennessy Gold Cup (2015)The tough grey Smad Place is listed among the ten possible runners in the King George VI chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
Trained by Alan King at his Barbury Castle yard, the eight-year-old gelding Smad Place caused headline astonishment with his twelve length victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury at the end of last month.
Smad Place will have to equal the Hennessy-George VI double set in 1998 by Teeton Mill - another grey gelding. Trained by Venetia Williams, Teeton Mill won the Hennessy by fifteen lengths.
The five-day entries for this year's King George VI include Cue Card - favoured after his win in the Betfair Chase at Haydock. There are two strong Irish challengers - Don Cossack and Vautour. And Sliviniaco Conti will be aiming to make it a hat-trick of victories in the race - a feat not achieved since Desert Orchid and Kauto Star.
Will we see Smad Place - owned by Mrs Peter Andrews - in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March? One expert writing in the Racing Post reckons that if he loses on Boxing Day, Alan King will go for a shorter race at the Cheltenham Festival - perhaps the Ryanair Chase.
That Festival Grade One chase over two miles and five furlongs was won this year by the Alan King trained Uxizandre with AP McCoy aboard.
On Boxing Day many eyes will be on Smad Place to see if he can claim the King George in the challenging style of that other 'little grey horse' Desert Orchid who won it four times - the first time by fifteen lengths.