2024 King George Betting Odds
Josh
Updated: Jun 25, 2024
Horse racing is one of the most popular sports to gamble on online in the world with huge amounts turned over on it each year.
It’s a sport that appeals to a significant number of punters because of the vast array of betting opportunities that comes with it.
On virtually every day of the year, there are several meetings each day, while major race days, such as the King George VI Chase, attract great popularity and betting turnover.
As well as the fact there are so many races on which to bet on throughout the day, there are a huge number of markets and bet types in horse racing meaning customers can get involved in different markets which, in some instances, can involve betting on a variety of factors.
Whether it be a simple win or each-way bet or a winning-distance bet, there’s a huge number of bet types for punters.
Online punting has very much taken off in recent years with punters now having the ability to place bets across a variety of different sports or venues all from one place.
This form of gambling has become the norm for the vast majority of punters, with retail betting as well as betting on course notably less frequent as more and more turn to the internet.
Current Favourites To Win The King George Chase
You can find the current contenders for this year’s King George Chase below along with their odds at our recommended racebook, Twinspires.
Horse | Odds | Twinspires |
Allaho | 11/4 | Bet here! |
Bravemansgame | 7/1 | Bet here! |
LHomme Presse | 8/1 | Bet here! |
Galopin des Champs | 10/1 | Bet here! |
A Plus Tard | 10/1 | Bet here! |
Energumene | 12/1 | Bet here! |
Ahoy Senor | 14/1 | Bet here! |
Shishkin | 14/1 | Bet here! |
Clan Des Obeaux | 16/1 | Bet here! |
My Drogo | 16/1 | Bet here! |
Tornado Flyer | 20/1 | Bet here! |
Protektorat | 20/1 | Bet here! |
Ferny Hollow | 20/1 | Bet here! |
Blue Lord | 20/1 | Bet here! |
These were some of the horses we predicted to be favorites in the 2023 King George Chase. The odds have changed significantly for Chantry House, Minella Indo and Frodon whereas we were quite accurate for Clan Des Obeux and Allaho.
- Clan Des Obeux (7/2) – The winner of the race in 2018 and 2019, he seems to come alive in this contest and the last time we saw him he was better than ever at Punchestown.
- Minella Indo (8/1) – The Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and probably the best three-mile chaser around at the moment. If he turned up, he’d be a danger to all.
- Allaho (8/1) – One of the most impressive Cheltenham Festival winners you’ll ever see in the Ryanair Chase over 2m5f. A repeat over this extra distance would surely be good enough.
- Chantry House (10/1) – Very much the new kid on the block but seems to be finally realising the potential many thought he had.
- Frodon (14/1) – Last year’s winner, who continues to punch above his weight. He couldn’t do it again, could he?
The King George Horse Race
The King George is one of the real highlights in the National Hunt or Jumps calendar.
The race, which is three miles in distance, takes place over jumps with the field, usually ranging from about eight to 16 runners, completing nearly two circuits of the track.
Date | 2/26/2022 – 1:00 PM ET |
Location | Sunbury, England |
Track | Kempton Park |
Inaugurated | 1937 |
Race Type | Steeplechase |
Distance | 3 miles (4,828 metres) |
Surface | Turf |
Qualification | Four-year-olds and up |
Purse | £250,000 (2021) |
Previous Winner | Tornado Fyler |
It is run on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, and it is more often than not, sold out with thousands of people in attendance, avoiding their cold turkey sandwiches!
The race takes place at Kempton, nestled in the southwestern suburbs of London, and for many, it is only preceded by the Cheltenham Gold Cup as the most prestigious chase in England.
As such, the field is often stacked with quality with horses from both England and Ireland taking each other on and hoping to win their owners a share of the £204,000 pot.
The Grade 1 race is open to horses aged four years or older, although it is often won by horses aged between six and nine.
The field jumps a total of 18 fences during the race. It is not only a real test of stamina but also one that really puts an emphasis on jumping.
Both of these reasons are why the King George holds such a high rank in the jump racing calendar.
From a betting perspective, the King George is one of the most bet on races of the entire horse racing betting season. This is because it falls at a very good time of the year for the betting public and thus there are more eyes on it than there are for any normal race.s
Many families, particularly those with a racing interest, tune in to watch the contest and so there is a significant amount of money bet on it.
Betting Strategy For The King George
Betting Each-Way / Taking On The Favourite
Over the last 10 runnings of the King George, there have been just four winning favourites and thus a prudent betting strategy that has developed is taking on the favourite by backing a horse against it each-way.
Backing a horse each-way means you are supporting it in both the win and place markets, which, given the fairly weak record of shorter-priced horses in the race, is often a shrewd play.
A prime example of this was Frodon’s victory in the race in 2020. Given Clan Des Obeaux had won the last two renewals, a huge number would have supported him hence why he was sent off a short-priced favourite, despite the poor record of favourites in the race.
However, for those who wanted a bit of value, they would have found an ideal candidate in the ultra-consistent Frodon, who eventually came home a 20/1 shot. Taking this into account, it can deliver rich rewards to take on the favourite in the King George.
Form
Given the competitiveness of the King George, it’s a race that, in particular, studying the ‘form’ is key for. Studying the form is essentially looking back through a horse’s recent results and seeing how they have performed.
It’s not an exact science and there are plenty of times when a horse that is totally ‘out of form’ turns things upside down and wins out of the blue, but more often than not, it’s a wise move to look to horses that have been running well.
There are, of course, many factors to consider when reading the form, such as ground, distance, the form of the yard from which the horse resides as well as the jockey selected to ride, but the main aim is to try and establish the horse’s ability and chances of bettering the rest of the field.
As mentioned, reading the form doesn’t always work, but more often than not, selecting a horse who is ‘in form’ will pay dividends as you are putting your money on one who is confident and is enjoying what they are doing whereas it’s much riskier to back a horse totally ‘out of form’.
Ground
Another important factor to consider in your betting strategy is the ground. For many, the ground is a crucial element when they consider who to back in a horse race.
This is because some horses excel when the ground is dry (known as good or quick ground), while others prefer it when the ground has been softened by the rain (known as soft or slow ground).
Some horses are said to ‘go on any ground’ meaning they are flexible on the surface they run on, but others are very ground-dependent and really struggle if they don’t have their optimum conditions.
The best way to find this out is to look back through a horse’s past performances or form where the ground description will be displayed.
Another way to check a horse’s ability to handle a certain type of ground is to check its breeding and whether the mare (its mother) or sire (its father) were successful on it.
If a horse has yet to run on, for example, quick ground, there is no reason to suggest it won’t handle it, but in the first instance, it’s probably safest to not back it and see how it fares. This method should prove prudent moving forwards.
One thing to note on the ground is that if a horse has no form on a certain surface meaning they don’t seem to handle it, it’s very rare that they suddenly change to liking it.
Trainers need to run their horses in order to keep them fit and their minds focussed on the game, and therefore on occasion, this means running them on a surface which they don’t enjoy as much.
From a betting strategy point of view, it would be wise to avoid backing horses when this sort of event arises.
Notable Winners Of The King George
The King George is synonymous with famous winners over the years.
The most celebrated of those, though, has to be Kauto Star – the most successful horse in the race’s 83-year history. Paul Nicholls’ brilliant horse won the race a remarkable five times in his glittering career, four of which came consecutively from 2006-2009, and he was ridden to victory on all five occasions by legendary Irish jockey Ruby Walsh.
Another special winner came last year when Frodon was the surprise victor. Again trained by Paul Nicholls, the 20/1 chance led the whole way with an amazing performance.
The headlines were stolen by his jockey Bryony Frost, though, who is winning the race, became the first female jockey to do so.
You just have to go back through the ages to see the calibre of horse that usually wins the King George. As well as the likes of Kauto Star, legendary jumps horses like Kicking King, Best Mate, See More Business, Long Run, and Desert Orchid have emerged victorious.
These really are the greats of the sport and whoever adds their name to the roll of honour in 2021 will be part of a very select group of champions.
Popular Horse Racing Bets
As mentioned, there are many different types of bets on horse racing. When deciding to bet on a horse it is important to note this as it can occur that a horse doesn’t need to win for you to make money.
The most common bet is a straight bet which is when you are simply betting on something to occur. In the case of horse racing, this is when you are betting on a horse to win a race, or ‘on the nose’ as is commonly referred to in the world of racing.
A slight variation of a straight is an each-way bet. This is a bet on a horse in both the win and place markets, which, in a race such as the King George, often pays dividends. It’s a regular occurrence for big-priced horses to run well in this race, so there is plenty of scope to take on the more-fancied or shorter-priced contenders.
This means that it’s entirely possible that even if your horse doesn’t win you still make money. Bookies regularly often increase place terms on bigger races like the King George, so there are plenty of opportunities for each-way punters.
Another common wager type is an exacta. This requires you to pick the first and second place horse in a race. This can be a straight exacta which is the 1-2 in the correct order, or a reverse exacta which is where it doesn’t matter what order the selected horses finish in.
The final commonly-used bet type is a trifecta. The premise of this is to back the three horses that finish first, second and third in a selected race. This is obviously very tricky so the payouts for punters are normally appealing.
The outlay on bets like this is usually small compared to a straight or each-way bet because the unpredictability is much greater and so is the risk.