Best King George in years – but is there a Gold Cup horse in there?

Banbridge delivers in Kempton cracker

Ireland came and Ireland conquered. For the third time in four years the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase trophy is heading back over the Irish Sea, this time for Joseph O’Brien who played a blinder with his training of Banbridge for British owner Ronnie Bartlett.

“After Punchestown (last April) Ronnie called me and said ‘let’s have a go at the King George’ and we made that plan,” O’Brien said.

Eight months later here we are, Banbridge the new king of Christmas, a patient ride by Willie Mullins’ main man Paul Townend, JJ Slevin staying in Ireland to ride three of O’Briens at Leopardstown, helping him to a one-and-three-quarter length verdict over the gallant front runner, Il Est Francais.

Why was it such a good training performance? Well, it was his first go at three miles and it’s unusual for a horse to test their stamina for the first time in a race like this. And he sharpened him up for the test by running him twice over two miles, his last run a last-fence unseat behind Energumene, which hardly looked the ideal preparation.

But while things didn’t quite work out last time, on the face of it, they worked out just perfectly on Boxing Day, Townend accepting a position at the rear of mid-division early after jumping into the back of Spillane’s Tower.

Meanwhile, Il Est Francais was jumping along in front edging further clear at every fence he winged under James Reveley.

Double-digit lengths clear at several points, he was nine lengths ahead at the third last and the chasing pack had hardly made any inroads. That is except for Banbridge, who moved up to challenge smoothly under a confident Townend, his clean jump at the last sealing matters.

Il Est Francais got in too tight to the last, but he was already tiring, his effort huge but not quite good enough on the day. He was 10 lengths clear of the third home, L’Homme Presse, who is a solid yardstick and goes well fresh, so connections can be proud.

As for Team Banbridge, I wonder what plan Ronnie and Joseph will hatch next? He doesn’t look an obvious one for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which can be a gruelling race over 3m2f, but he is a Festival winner and it’s easy to envisage him going for the Ryanair Chase, a race for which he is a general 6/1 chance.

The Gold Cup carries more weight in terms of prestige and Banbridge was not lacking for stamina in the King George, but the Gold Cup is a different question entirely and his shrewd team will aim him at the race they feel he is more likely to win. At Cheltenham, that's probably the Ryanair.

Il Est Francais is between 10/1 and 16/1 for the same race – and if there is a race at Cheltenham for him it is surely the intermediate trip option – but he is unproven on the undulations of Prestbury Park. Given his style of racing, he might just love it, but those ups and downs aren’t for every horse and he has looked his very best now twice around the flat terrain at Kempton.

The duo served up a cracking King George, though, so perhaps we should just appreciate that. In a race that has struggled to attract the very best staying steeplechasers in recent years, raiders from Ireland and France combined to deliver the best King George in at least a decade.

On the back of Constitution Hill proving himself all over again it felt like a special afternoon.

A Cross word from the also rans

But the King George so often throws up a Gold Cup contender we have to ask the question. If Banbridge and Il Est Francais look most likely to run in the Ryanair Chase, if at Cheltenham at all, certainly in the latter’s case, then was there a Cheltenham Gold Cup horse lurking in the shadows?

With Galopin Des Champs and Fact To File doing battle in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on Saturday it’s tempting to say probably not, as it looks most likely that any Cheltenham Gold Cup clues this week will come from that pair.

However, there are some to consider from the King George.

L’Homme Presse ran a super race off a lay-off in third, but he jumped to his left again and still looks likely to be better going the other way round. Perhaps he will be kept fresh for March?

Fellow Brit Grey Dawning made a mistake at the first fence and wasn't seen to his best, pulling up before three out. There will be other days for him.

JP McManus has Fact To File, but his King George pair, Spillane’s Tower and Corbetts Cross, are not out of the Gold Cup picture yet, either.

It all happened a bit quickly for Jimmy Mangan’s Spillane’s Tower, the combination of tempo and ground just catching him out. He made mistakes as Banbridge made up his ground, but he ran okay in fifth, considering, and while he’ll still have to prove himself left-handed, his reputation shouldn’t be dented too much here.

While Spillane's Tower might be one for Punchestown over Cheltenham, owner-mate Corbetts Cross is perhaps the most interesting horse for the Gold Cup from the King George field going forward.

Emmet Mullins told everyone beforehand that the Gold Cup was his main target for the season and that he was worried about the ground here, but he took his chance and was another one that couldn’t really go with the gallop from an early stage.

Considering that, he plugged on just fine for sixth, a platform to work from. Well proven at Cheltenham and in softer ground, I wouldn’t give up on him for the Gold Cup yet, even if the bookies have pushed him out to 40/1.

More from Sporting Life

• Racecards
• Fast results
• Full results and free video replays
• Horse racing news
• Horse racing tips
• Horse racing features
• Download our free iOS and Android app
• Football and other sports tips
• Podcasts and video content

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.