2015 King George Ante Post Betting Preview PT 1

One of the most exciting National Hunt cards of the entire season is nearly upon us as Kempton is set to unfold on Boxing Day. The Christmas classic is always one of the most widely-anticipated races of the year and is considered to be the key prep race for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. This year we have a few very well-qualified contenders bidding for the favourites position while a few talented selections line up in each-way territory. 

There is a lot to like about Don Cossack and he is the current reigning favourite for the 2015 King George with virtually every major bookmaker at the moment. You will find him as a general 9/4 listing right now and it will be fascinating to see how the odds fluctuate in the build-up to the actual race itself. 

He will be seeking his third score on the bounce for the season and captured a Grade 3 at Punchestown to kick things off and then followed up with the Grade 1 JNwine.com Champion Chase. He won both races by a combined 20 lengths with Bryan Cooper in the irons. 

On both occasions he was sent off at extremely short prices and even though he was up against relatively short fields he was still able to win the way that you would want a 1/4 or 2/11 horse to win. He isn’t one to actually go to the front and try to make all in this race with many expecting him to sit handy and probably track back in 3rd or fourth depending on the pace of the race. 

Don Cossack’s form is full of great performances in recent years and he has established himself as one of the key Grade 1 staying chasers in the business. He wasn’t able to get the better of Uxizandre in the 2015 Ryanair Chase and that remains the biggest blemish on his card aside from a failing effort at Punchestown in a novice chase back in 2014.