18 December 2023 , 12:57
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Willie Mullins has the bookies running scared again after revealing he will run one of his biggest jumping stars in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase.
The record-breaking trainer said Allaho, the two-time winner of the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, would be his representative in the £250,000 showpiece at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Mullins has won the King George twice but does not target the race every year nor many other major British jumps races before the Cheltenham Festival.
Allaho, owned by Cheveley Park Stud, missed the whole of last season due to injury but made a satisfactory return to action when winning the Grade 2 Clonmel Oil Chase in November.
"At the moment, it looks like Allaho will go for the King George,” Mullins told the Racing Post. “We'll see how he works over the next week but the plan is to go to Kempton."
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The news caused an immediate rejig of the ante-post betting market for the race, which until the weekend had been headed by the Gordon Elliott-trained Gerri Colombe.
As a result Allaho, who had been an 11-2 chance last week, is now a top-priced 9-4 favourite from last year’s winner Bravemansgame on 11-4 with Gerri Colombe out to 9-2.
Coral spokesman Lewis Knowles said: ‘’Allaho has been very well supported in recent days, and following the news that Gerri Colombe may not head to Kempton, Willie Mullins’ horse now heads our betting at 9-4.
“Bravemansgame has yet to find his best form this season, and as a result he’s been very easy to back over the last few days, but it will be interesting to see if his supporters reappear as we get closer to raceday.”