Kempton present Boxing Day bonus

Lydia Hislop13 April 2012

Kempton today announced a £100,000 bonus linking its new Boxing Day trio of Grade One events that executives described as "the equal of any raceday in the calendar".

The incentive is designed to further bolster the ailing Pertemps Christmas Hurdle as a major target for top yards, safeguarding the participation of the best jockeys through its new position as chief supporting race to the feature Pertemps King George VI Chase.

Won in the recent past by the likes of Kribensis, Mighty Mogul and French Holly, the two-mile Hurdle had been overshadowed in its original slot as the second-day highlight of the Pertemps Christmas Festival by the popular Welsh National at Chepstow.

Poor field sizes were exacerbated by the absence of leading jockeys, who were called instead to ride at the Welsh track. Kempton's Boxing Day reshuffle is enhanced by the bonus scheme, awarded to any trainer or jockey winning the Hurdle, King George and Pertemps Learning Feltham Novices' Chase.

Lambourn trainer, Nicky Henderson, and stable jockey, Mick Fitzgerald, bagged two of the three events last year with Geos in the Christmas Hurdle and Bacchanal in the Feltham. Henderson was without representation in the King George, but Fitzgerald finished fifth on favourite See More Business.

French handler, Francois Doumen - who remarkably finished 11th in last year's UK National Hunt trainers' championship on the basis of a mere 25 runners - will be tempted to find a Feltham candidate after earmarking First Gold for a defence of his King George crown and the Christmas Hurdle for promising Bilboa.

The bonus scheme is also likely to loom large in the plans of Martin Pipe and Tony McCoy, who monopolised last weekend's Open 2001 meeting at Cheltenham, and Ditcheat handler Paul Nicholls. Both yards have the strength in depth and breadth required to land the prize, underwritten by Coral Eurobet.

Kempton's move t o strengthen its Boxing Day card joins a trend among other racecourses, pioneered mainly on the Flat by Newmarket's Champions' Day meeting, to collect together their best races in one topclass card. In this case, it can also be seen as a direct response to the threat of Ascot's newly improved twoday meeting on the weekend immediately preceding Christmas - a competitor that many suggest will tempt key challengers away from Kempton's highlight.

"The three Boxing Day Grade One races will be run successively and you could call it a National Hunt super hour," said Kempton's executive director, Julian Thick. "We see Ascot's announcements as part of a rosy picture overall for National Hunt racing. We look at our own business and seek to improve it." This is underpinned at the capital's track by a ten per cent increase in prize money to a record £400,000 and the introduction of a new race, the Pertemps ASAP Handicap as the new second-day highlight, which it is hoped will form a credible stepping-stone to the following season's King George.

This year's King George - the winter highlight for top staying chasers - has already attracted six topclass Irish-trained entries in recent Charlie Hall winner Sackville, Florida Pearl and stablemate Micko's Dream, Native Upmanship and the Ted Walsh-trained duo, Commanche Court and Rince Ri.

"Commanche Court ran well when second in the Racing Post Trophy over the King George course-anddistance in February, whereas Rince Ri has already won two Ericsson Chases, so that could decide where each of them go. It's more than likely I'd want to keep them apart," said Walsh.

"But these races are five to six weeks away. Anything could happen between now and then. I was pleased with Commanche Court's run at Navan last Saturday. He could run in the Hennessy at Newbury but I'd be wanting Marlborough to run and carry top-weight."

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