Betway ambassador and champion jockey Paul Townend discuses his two upcoming rides rides at Kempton on St. Stephen's Day.
No such thing as down time…
Even though there’s a break from racing ahead of Christmas, we’re still hard at work. Tuesday is one of the busiest days for riding out horses and doing what we call fast work. We’d then turn to preparations for the Christmas meetings on Wednesday. Then on Christmas Eve I’m going home to my family in Cork. After dinner on Christmas Day I’ll head back to Dublin in preparation for my early flight to the UK on St. Stephen’s morning for the King George meeting at Kempton.
Kauto Star Novices’ Chase…
My first of two rides at Kempton is on Kitzbuhel (13:20) in a very competitive Novices’ Chase. He’s a horse we liked an awful lot last year. I probably should have won on him at Sandown in April – it wasn’t my best ride. He’s taken to jumping fences really well and was really tough when winning his Beginners Chase at Punchestown in November. He beat another one of ours Kaid d’Authie that day. I think he’ll have to up his game from that day now that he’s competing at Grade 1 level. This race will give us a good line of form with the English horses, Salver and Wendigo, they look to be at the top of the tree over there. We’ll be a lot wiser after this race, and I hope he fulfils the promise he showed us over hurdles now he’s over fences. Chasing will hopefully bring about that little bit of improvement from the potential he had last year.
King George VI Chase…
It seemed to be the plan after the John Durkan to send both horses, my mount Gaelic Warrior (14:30) and Fact To File, over to Kempton. So, I was always prepared that that would be the case. What a clash this is for the neutrals to enjoy again. It was a brilliant race in the John Durkan, where we came out the right side of it, but this is a new day and a new race.
We also have to see what happens with new opposition as well. There are only eight horses but it’s a top-class field. I suppose Jango Baie is the exciting one of the young pretenders coming through. The Jukebox Man was also so impressive over course and distance last year. Il Est Francais just lost out last year and probably needs to rekindle his best form to have a chance, you’d feel he’d definitely play a part in the race.
I won the race on Banbridge last year and he lines up again. It was great to win my first King George; it was huge for me as it’s a race I grew up watching. I didn’t expect to get a big as thrill as I got, maybe with it being for a different team and a spare ride as such. We took a chance dropping him in and it came together. It rounded off an incredible 2024.
Back to this year and I wouldn’t swap my lad for anything in the race, and I think Kempton is a track that’s going to suit him and play to a lot of his strengths. When he’s good, he’s very good and he seems to be putting it together more regularly now. We’re over halfway through the season and we’re not going at full pelt yet, but it would be a nice time of year to hit form.
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