No Mullins runners in the King George

The Leopardstown Christmas meeting is massive - good crowds at the track and lots of families tuned in at home-it is a massive part of the Irish Christmas experience.Having said that I would rather win a Christmas Hurdle at Kempton than the Leopardstown equivalent.
 
Always going to be years where races are stronger than others. I enjoy Leopardstown as much as the next person.
In terms of prestige though, the KG is second only to the Gold Cup for the stayers.

Didn't think this would be controversial!
 
In case anyone hadn't noticed, the world CHANGES.

Races can lose or gain prestige over time - the other King George, the one on the Flat, isn't what it was because of the shifting bloodstock commercial focus to 1m2f and the imperative for a Derby winner that didn't win the 2,000 Guineas to prove itself at 1m2f nowadays.

I love the Kempton Chase and have done since Pendil's day, but you'd have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to see the Irish jumps dominance is increasingly resulting in their best staying at home and instead running at Leopardstown, if they run at all, over Christmas.
 
LUKE said:
The Leopardstown Christmas meeting is massive - good crowds at the track and lots of families tuned in at home-it is a massive part of the Irish Christmas experience.Having said that I would rather win a Christmas Hurdle at Kempton than the Leopardstown equivalent.
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Maybe not for much longer, Luke. The British Racing Bus is chugging along complacently in the middle lane believing itself to be the vehicle of choice for the discerning racegoer despite seats that are fraying at the seams and an engine that groans under the strain. Meanwhile, that erstwhile speck in the distance that was the Irish Racing Bus has thundered down the fast lane in overtaking mode and is beginning to disappear. “Ah, well” sighed the BRB driver “we’ve still got the prime attraction in Cheltenham”. “Only because we bring our best there” came the cry “ you’ll need to come to us to see them soon and bring the one or two you’ve got that can make something of race of it. Bye.”
 
Unless you're in a private box with reserved parking (I was lucky enough to have both the last four times I attended) Boxing Day at Kempton Park can be a living Hell.

The poor man's Ascot is absolutely rammed and if you're funnelled into the car park in the middle of the course you're liable to be still waiting to get out at 6pm in the dark, well over two hours after racing.

I'm neither a traveller nor much of a racegoer, so I really can't be bothered to ever go over there to find out, but if you read people like Mike Parcej on X (who is English btw) you'll read tale after tale about the racegoer experience in Ireland being infinitely better on every level (quality, value for money, food and drink, accommodation, public transport, you name it) than in Britain.
 
I like Grey Dawning, but he had a hard race at Haydock and I think he will struggle against anything that showed up well in the John Durkan.
 
Ian_Davies said:
Unless you're in a private box with reserved parking (I was lucky enough to have both the last four times I attended) Boxing Day at Kempton Park can be a living Hell.

The poor man's Ascot is absolutely rammed and if you're funnelled into the car park in the middle of the course you're liable to be still waiting to get out at 6pm in the dark, well over two hours after racing.

I'm neither a traveller nor much of a racegoer, so I really can't be bothered to ever go over there to find out, but if you read people like Mike Parcej on X (who is English btw) you'll read tale after tale about the racegoer experience in Ireland being infinitely better on every level (quality, value for money, food and drink, accommodation, public transport, you name it) than in Britain.
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I've been twice, once on Boxing Day about 20 years ago where I had to park in the middle, dunno about now but it wasn't too mobbed that day, not like Royal Ascot was when I went a few years ago. Then I went again when it was delayed a few days one year due to bad weather, didn't drive then so don't remember what the traffic was like other than it was pain getting a taxi home again. Even then it wasn't as bad as Ascot for crowds. That year they had animal rights b ends protesting as me and my pal queued up to get in but people politely refused to interact with them, funny thing was one of them was the wife of one of the guys we worked with at the time. Him and his wife were major eco vegan loons that wouldn't even eat honey cos of bee exploitation.....that somehow extended to soap :sick:
 
I think that depends this year if you get Fact to File, Fast or Slow and Grey Dawning in the King George that is going to be a hell of a race i'd not be surprised if those 3 line up they don't smash the clock at Kempton it'd be a hell of a race.

Ah hadn't seen the Fast or Slow post doh!
 
Ian_Davies said:
Unless you're in a private box with reserved parking (I was lucky enough to have both the last four times I attended) Boxing Day at Kempton Park can be a living Hell.

The poor man's Ascot is absolutely rammed and if you're funnelled into the car park in the middle of the course you're liable to be still waiting to get out at 6pm in the dark, well over two hours after racing.

I'm neither a traveller nor much of a racegoer, so I really can't be bothered to ever go over there to find out, but if you read people like Mike Parcej on X (who is English btw) you'll read tale after tale about the racegoer experience in Ireland being infinitely better on every level (quality, value for money, food and drink, accommodation, public transport, you name it) than in Britain.
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I'm not quite sure where he was going. Other than Leopardstown pretty much none of the Irish courses have any public transport links. Punchestown in particular is miles from anywhere.
 
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