Get set for a Boxing Day extravaganza at Kempton Park
Kempton Park is the closest racecourse to London at Sunbury upon Thames and with the weather the way it has been please take note of its proximity to London’s main drain. The track is not necessarily as known for testing underfoot conditions as its close neighbour Sandown but please beware all the same as after the past two weeks weather the track will be very testing and we will need to find a horse that is able to cope with the heavy ground.
It is an oft quoted phrase in racing that a good horse will go on any ground but when the going is as testing as this you will need to find a runner with some form on soft ground no matter how good they are. After the past two years relatively clement and dry National Hunt seasons this is a difficult task but here goes:
The Tout has selected two horses from yards that are in form and both have form on soft ground. The outsider and the value is Captain Chris trained by Philip Hobbs and ridden by Richard Johnson. He has form this year on heavy ground in his latest start and is available at 16/1 for a small wager. Our win selection is Riverside Theatre trained by Nicky Henderson and ridden by Barry Gerraghty who is taken to overcome his better fancied stablemate Long Run who is piloted by Sam Waley-Cohen. The Tout does not hold with the theory that Waley-Cohen, as an amateur rider, is not the equal of the pros but Long Run does not seem the horse of two years ago and our selection is Riverside Theatre with Captain Chris thereabouts.
Enjoy the spectacle and remember those hungry jockeys who will not have over imbibed like the rest of us this Christmas!
The Tout.