23 December 2023 , 19:24
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There is plenty to look forward to over the festive period with a plethora of Britain and Ireland's best jumps horses in action.
Here Newsboy picks out the horses and the races which could provide the unmissable golden moments of the Christmas holiday period.
CONSTITUTION HILL
Imagine how your Christmas dinner would taste if you’d fasted in the run up to the big day. That’s how fans of Constitution Hill will feel when Nicky Henderson’s Champion Hurdler makes his comeback at Kempton Park on Boxing Day, after the weather - snow, then rain - prevented the unbeaten six-year-old from running in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle, cancelled at Newcastle before being staged on heavy ground at Sandown Park. This is the season that can define Constitution Hill as a true great, and it’s about to begin.
IL EST FRANCAIS
His name translates as ‘He Is French’ - which is true - but ‘ll Est Magnifique’ would do just as well. Trained in Avilly-Saint-Léonard, near Chantilly, by Amanda Zetterholm and Tom George’s son Noel, Il Est Francais is the best horse in his homeland. A Grade 1 winner over hurdles, the five-year-old tests his mettle against the likes of Hermes Allen and Klassical Dream in the top-level Kauto Star Novices’ Chase after landing his first two attempts over fences.
Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs runs in the Savills Chase
GALOPIN DES CHAMPS
The Cheltenham Gold Cup hero has a point to prove when he makes a surprise appearance in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on Thursday. When he careered up the Cheltenham hill to lift steeplechasing’s greatest prize by seven lengths last March, Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old looked destined for a lengthy reign at the top. But Galopin Des Champs has been beaten by Fastorslow on both his subsequent starts - defeats, not disasters - but the crown will slip a little further if he fails to get back on track.
WELSH GRAND NATIONAL
He netted the biggest prize of his training career when Datsalrightgino came from last to first in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury last month. Now Jamie Snowden has another big pot in his sights - Wednesday’s Welsh Grand National - with Super Survivor. The seven-year-old, a winner on the same card as a novice in 2022, heads the Chepstow betting after a return-to-the-fray second at Lingfield Park last month. Iwilldoit, who did it for Sam Thomas two years ago, bids to get his title back.
KING GEORGE VI CHASE
The signature race of Britain’s midwinter can’t come soon enough. The King George VI Chase betting market just won’t stay still - defending champion Bravemansgame, Shishkin and Gerri Colombe have all held, then lost, their place at the head of the betting now occupied by Allaho. There’s a question mark over each of the main players for Kempton Park on Boxing Day, which makes this year’s race all the more captivating. Forget the EastEnders Christmas special - this is one drama you must not miss.
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