If you are looking for some racing thrill to complement your Christmas celebrations, then you have come to the right place. The King George VI Chase is taking place on 26 December, and this ultimate Boxing Day race is a perfect way to see off the year 2025.
The race is a part of a two day Ladbrokes Christmas Festival, and the entire event is hosted by the Kempton Park Racecourse. Opened in July 1878, it now stays functional throughout the year, offering both flat and National Hunt races.
Some of the most notable races conducted at the course include the Rosebery Stakes (run in late March or early April), the Easter Stakes (discontinued in April 2009), September Stakes (the last but one flat race of the season), Kauto Star Novices’ Chase, and Desert Orchid Chase, which are also both part of the Ladbrokes Christmas Festival.
The Ladbrokes Christmas Festival takes place every year on 26 and 27 December, which this year fall on Friday and Saturday. The ‘Get Your Ladbrokes Free Kempton Bet’ Novices’ Limited Handicap Steeple Chase will open the event as its first race, while The Ladbrokes ‘Get Rewarded With Ladbucks’ Handicap Hurdle Race will close the Festival.
The King George VI Chase will take place on Boxing Day, the first day of the event.
Key Dates & Timings
The King George VI Chase 2025 will be conducted in the last week of December as a part of the Ladbroke Christmas Festival that will last for two days. Both days will include six races each. The two days of the Festival are referred to by the names of their headline races, King George VI Chase Day and Desert Orchid Chase Day.
Day One: King George VI Chase Day (Boxing Day)
- When: Friday, 26 December 2025
- Gate opening: 10:30 am
- First race: 12:45 pm
- Headline race: 2:30 pm
- Last race: 3:40 pm
Day Two: Desert Orchid Chase Day
- When: Saturday, 27 December 2025
- Gate opening: 11:00 am
- First race: 12:45 pm
- Headline race: 2:30 pm
- Last race: 3:37 pm
The daily race cards for the Ladbroke Christmas Festival 2025 are as follows:
Friday, 26 December
Going: good (good to soft in places)
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 12:45 pm | THE ‘GET YOUR LADBROKES FREE KEMPTON BET’ NOVICES’ LIMITED HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 3) (GBB RACE) (CL 3) | Two miles about four and a half furlongs
(2m 4f 110yds) |
4YO+ £25,000.00 Rating 0-130 |
| 1:20 pm | THE LADBROKES KAUTO STAR NOVICES’ STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (In Memory of Nigel Clark) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About three miles (3m) | 4YO+ £100,000.00 |
| 1:55 pm | THE LADBROKES CHRISTMAS HURDLE RACE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About two miles (2m) | 4YO+ £130,000.00 |
| 2:30 pm | THE LADBROKES KING GEORGE VI STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 1) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About three miles (3m) | 4YO+ £250,000.00 |
| 3:05 pm | THE ‘JOIN LADBROKES BET £5 GET £30’ MAIDEN HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | About two miles (2m) | 4YO+ £22,000.00 |
| 3:40 pm | THE LADBROKES ‘BEST ODDS GUARANTEED IN RACING’ HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 3) (CL 3) | Two miles about five furlongs
(2m 5f) |
3YO+ £24,000.00 Rating 0-140 |
Saturday, 27 December
Going: good (good to soft in places)
| Time | Race | Distance | Conditions |
| 12:45 pm | THE ‘GET YOUR LADBROKES FREE KEMPTON BET’ ‘INTRODUCTORY’ JUVENILE HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | About two miles (2m) | 3YO £30,000.00 |
| 1:20 pm | THE ‘JOIN LADBROKES BET £5 GET £30′ MARES’ HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 2) | Three miles about half a furlong
(3m 121 yds) (winter start) |
4YO+ £30,000.00 |
| 1:55 pm | THE LADBROKES WAYWARD LAD NOVICES’ STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About two miles (2m) | 4YO+ £75,000.00 |
| 2:30 pm | THE LADBROKES DESERT ORCHID HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 1) (Grade 2) (LIMITED HANDICAP CHASE) (GBB RACE) (CL 1) | About two miles (2m) | 4YO+ £100,000.00 |
| 3:07 pm | THE LADBROKES ‘BIG FOOTBALL BET BUILDER BOOSTS’ HANDICAP STEEPLE CHASE (CLASS 3) (GBB RACE) (CL 3) | About three miles (3m) | 4YO+ £50,000.00 Rating 0-135 |
| 3:37 pm | THE LADBROKES ‘GET REWARDED WITH LADBUCKS’ HANDICAP HURDLE RACE (CLASS 3) (CL 3) | About two miles (2m) | 3YO+ £22,000.00 Rating 0-140 |
How to Buy Tickets
Tickets for the Ladbroke Christmas Festival 2025 are available for purchase on the official website of the Kempton Park Racecourse.
The enclosures open to the visitors for this event are the Paddock Enclosure, the Premier Enclosure, and the Festival Enclosure. However, the availability and prices vary per day and are as follows:
For Friday, 26 December
- Paddock Enclosure: 45.00 per person
- Paddock Enclosure group of 6+: £40.50 per person
- Premier Enclosure: sold out
- Festival Enclosure: £25 per person
- Festival Enclosure group of 6+: £22.50 per person
For Saturday, 27 December
- Paddock Enclosure: £30.00 per person
- Paddock Enclosure group of 6+: £27.00
- Premier Enclosure: £40.00
- Premier Enclosure group of 6+: £36.00
- Festival Enclosure: unavailable
When buying a ticket to the Paddock Enclosure, you get access to the Grandstand that opens views on the racecourse where the action takes place. You will also be admitted to the Pre-Parade Ring, Parade Ring, and Winners Enclosure. And of course, you get to choose from a variety of eateries and bars on the premises as well as visit the bookmaker pitches.
A Premier Enclosure ticket will give you exclusive access to the first floor of the Grandstand building from where you will be able to follow the race closest to the winning line. You will also be admitted to the Pre-Parade Ring, Parade Ring, and Winners Enclosure, and get other perks the Paddock ticket provides.
While the Festival Enclosure doesn’t provide access to the Pre-Parade Ring, Parade Ring, or Winners Enclosure, you get the best views of the home straight and the last fence. A small selection of food outlets and bars is also available at the venue.
Besides these enclosure options, you can also opt for a pass to Kauto Club. With the Kauto Club ticket in your pocket you will be granted Premier admission to the course, plus exclusive access to Kauto Bar from where you can have a peek into the Weighing Room.
Keep in mind that Kauto Bar, named after the most successful winner of the King George VI Chase, is located between the Parade Ring and the Racecourse. While this means you won’t have any direct views of the racing action from the bar, you can enjoy it from the Premier Enclosure that this ticket includes.
Children under the age of 18 are allowed to the racecourse free of charge if accompanied by a parent or a responsible adult. One paying adult can bring up to three underage children with them. Everyone aged 15 or below must stay with their adult at all times, while those aged 16 and 17 are free to move around on their own, but the responsible adult must still be on the premises.
For those seeking to enhance their experience with fine dining, the Kempton Park Racecourse offers several hospitality packages, however the majority of them are already sold out.
When it comes to dress code, Kempton Park Racecourse doesn’t enforce strict rules. Permitted outfits range from relaxed but neat casual wear, like a pair of jeans and sneakers, to something more sophisticated, like a tailored suit or an elegant dress with a pair of high heels.
Fancy dress is allowed as long as it isn’t deemed offensive or vulgar. However, racecourse visitors are strongly recommended to abstain from wearing sports kits or team colours to avoid unnecessary conflict and confrontations.
Travel & Transport Guide
The King George VI Chase and the entire Ladbroke Christmas Festival is conducted at the Kempton Park Racecourse located at the following address: Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Rd East, Sunbury on Thames, TW16 5AQ. You can reach your destination by various means of transportation from different directions.
For any other race, if you are travelling to the Kempton Park Racecourse by rail, you have the opportunity to arrive right at the venue. Kempton Park’s very own train station is located onsite, mere 200 yards from the North entrance. A direct train from London Waterloo will bring you to Kempton in about 40 minutes.
However, you won’t be able to take advantage of this option for the King George VI Chase Day, as trains don’t run on Boxing Day.
If you prefer to drive to the racecourse, you will find Kempton Park on A308 between Sunbury on Thames and Hampton Court. This is less than one mile from Junction 1 of the M3 via Junction 12 of the M25.
If you are flying in for the Ladbroke Christmas Festival, both London Heathrow and London Gatwick will provide a fast and easy connection to the racecourse in under an hour. The former is only 25 minutes away, while the latter is 45 minutes away.
Headline Races at the Ladbroke Christmas Festival
The Ladbroke Christmas Festival 2025 includes 12 races equally distributed between the two days of the event. The variety of tracks, conditions, and participating horses ensures that the horse racing enthusiasts who choose to spend their Boxing Day on the tracks will find something that suits their interests.
Ladbrokes King George VI Chase (Friday, 26 December, Boxing Day)
The Ladbrokes King George VI Chase is a Grade 1 National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged four years or older. It is run over the distance of about 3 miles (4,828 metres) and includes eighteen fences to be jumped.
The chase was inaugurated in February 1937 and named after the new monarch, King George VI, who ascended the throne just a couple of months prior. After two successful runs, the race was terminated for the entire duration of World War II. In 1947 it returned on a new date, namely, 26 December, or Boxing Day.
Records keep the name of the very first winner of the race in 1937. Southern Hero was 12 when he won the inaugural run of the King George VI Chase and to date remains the oldest winner.
In the modern era of British horse racing, the King George VI Chase is the second most prestigious chase in England, coming right after the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Currently, there are 15 runners announced to compete in this year’s race, but this number may change before the day of the race. Jockeys for the race are still awaiting confirmation.
The current full list of contenders and their trainers runs as follows:
- Banbridge (age 9, trainer Joseph O’Brien)
- Croke Park (age 7, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Djelo (age 7, trainer Venetia Williams)
- Fact To File (age 8, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Fastorslow (age 9, trainer Martin Brassil)
- Firefox (age 7, trainer Gordon Elliott)
- Gaelic Warrior (age 7, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Grangeclare West (age 9, trainer Willie Mullins)
- Heart Wood (age 7, trainer Henry De Bromhead)
- Il Est Francais (age 7, trainer Tom George)
- Jango Baie (age 6, trainer Nicky Henderson)
- Kolokico (age 5, trainer Emmanuel Clayeux)
- L’homme Presse (age 10, trainer Venetia Williams)
- Master Chewy (age 8, trainer Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies)
- The Jukebox Man (age 7, trainer Ben Pauling)
Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Chase (Saturday, 27 December)
The Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Chase is a Grade 2 National Hunt steeplechase that accepts both male and female horses aged four years or older. It is run over the distance of about 2 miles (3,219 metres) and includes twelve hurdles to be jumped.
The race is one of the modern ones in the history of British horse racing. It was inaugurated on 27 December 2006 and named after Desert Orchid, a popular race horse who passed away only a few weeks earlier. During its career, Desert Orchid had multiple wins, including five at Kempton Park Racecourse: four in the King George VI Chase (1986, 1988, 1989, 1990) and one in the Racing Post Chase (1990).
Since its first run, three horses have won the Desert Orchid Chase twice: Voy Por Ustedes (2006, 2007), Special Tiara (2014, 2016), and Editeur Du Gite (2022, 2023). Two jockeys with the highest number of wins (3 each) are Barry Geraghty (Petit Robin 2009, Finian’s Rainbow 2011, Special Tiara 2014) and Nico de Boinville (Sprinter Sacre 2015, Altior 2018, Shishkin 2021).
The undefeated trainer that has won the highest number of Desert Orchid Chase races is Nicky Henderson who trained five of the race winners: Petit Robin (2009), Finian’s Rainbow (2011), Sprinter Sacre (2015), Altior (2018), and Shishkin (2021).
Currently, no entries for this season’s Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Chase have been announced. We will update the article as soon as there is any further information.
Betting at Ladbroke Christmas Festival
As most horse racing events in Britain, the Ladbroke Christmas Festival offers betting opportunities on all its races. You can try your Boxing Day luck and place a wager online or at the betting facilities at the venue. Check out various bookmakers and see which one offers the best odds on your favourite betting markets.
At 7bet, we offer a wide range of horse race betting markets both for domestic and international events.
Please note that odds for the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase 2025 and other races of the event will be available closer to the event date.
Betting at the Ladbroke Christmas Festival 2025 includes various horse betting markets, with some of the most popular ones being:
- Win: This betting market is considered to be the most straightforward and the easiest to follow because it is based on the main principle of any sports event. Your objective as a punter here is to predict the winner of the race. If you think you can identify the horse that has the most potential to come to the finish line first, you can place your wager on it, and if your prediction happens to be correct, you will qualify for a payout proportional to the offered odds and your stake size. This betting market remains the most popular one among both newbie and seasoned bettors. Beginner punters are often advised to start their horse betting journey with this bet.
- Place: This betting market has a somewhat similar mechanism but comes with lower risks. Instead of betting on a horse to win the race, you place a wager on the horse to be placed. In horse racing, placement means that the horse finishes the race within the winning top but not necessarily in the first place. The winning top may also vary from top two to top four per race, based on how many runners have entered the competition. However, you as a punter don’t have to predict its exact placement. As long as your selected horse comes to the finish line within the winning top, your wager is eligible for a payout. This betting market works especially well if you are not sure your horse will come to the finish first or if it is competing against equally strong rivals.
- First Two (or First Three): If instead of betting on one horse to win the race you would like to place a wager on the entire winning top, this betting market will come in handy. Depending on the number of horses announced in the race, you can bet on either first two or first three runners to finish the race. This doesn’t mean that you have to place a separate wager on each, but rather one stake on all of them. The main risk here is that not only do you have to name all placed runners correctly, but they must also come to the finish line in the order you specified. If even one of them falls behind or they finish the race in a different order, your wager will lose.
- Two From Three: This betting market offers an opportunity to place a wager on the winning top as well but it implies a somewhat lower risk. To place a wager on this bet, you need to predict two out of the first three horses to come to the finish line. The risk factor goes down because you don’t have to predict the exact places they are going to take in the winning top. As long as they come within the top three, your wager is eligible for a payout. But if even one of the two horses you placed your bet on doesn’t finish within the top three, you will lose your stake.
Always remember to gamble responsibly and treat betting as a form of entertainment and not means for financial gain.
King George VI Chase Past Winners
Since its first run in February 1937, the King George VI Chase has celebrated a multitude of winning teams composed of outstanding horses, gifted jockeys, and prolific trainers who would beat every competition and reach the finish line first. The horses who won the King George VI Chase in the past 25 years since 2000 were the following:
| Year | Winner | Age | Jockey | Trainer |
| 2000 | First Gold | 7 | Thierry Doumen | François Doumen |
| 2001 | Florida Pearl | 9 | Adrian Maguire | Willie Mullins |
| 2002 | Best Mate | 7 | Tony McCoy | Henrietta Knight |
| 2003 | Edredon Bleu | 11 | Jim Culloty | Henrietta Knight |
| 2004 | Kicking King | 6 | Barry Geraghty | Tom Taaffe |
| 2005 | Kicking King | 7 | Barry Geraghty | Tom Taaffe |
| 2006 | Kauto Star | 6 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2007 | Kauto Star | 7 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2008 | Kauto Star | 8 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2009 | Kauto Star | 9 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2010 | Long Run | 6 | Sam Waley-Cohen | Nicky Henderson |
| 2011 | Kauto Star | 11 | Ruby Walsh | Paul Nicholls |
| 2012 | Long Run | 7 | Sam Waley-Cohen | Nicky Henderson |
| 2013 | Silviniaco Conti | 7 | Noel Fehily | Paul Nicholls |
| 2014 | Silviniaco Conti | 8 | Noel Fehily | Paul Nicholls |
| 2015 | Cue Card | 9 | Paddy Brennan | Colin Tizzard |
| 2016 | Thistlecrack | 8 | Tom Scudamore | Colin Tizzard |
| 2017 | Might Bite | 8 | Nico de Boinville | Nicky Henderson |
| 2018 | Clan des Obeaux | 6 | Harry Cobden | Paul Nicholls |
| 2019 | Clan des Obeaux | 7 | Sam Twiston-Davies | Paul Nicholls |
| 2020 | Frodon | 8 | Bryony Frost | Paul Nicholls |
| 2021 | Tornado Flyer | 8 | Danny Mullins | Willie Mullins |
| 2022 | Bravemansgame | 7 | Harry Cobden | Paul Nicholls |
| 2023 | Hewick | 8 | Gavin Sheehan | John Joseph Hanlon |
| 2024 | Banbridge | 8 | Paul Townend | Joseph O’Brien |
Chestnut gelding Banbridge was 8 years old when jockey Paul Townend led him to the winning line. That was his third win in 2024, others including Coral Silviniaco Conti Chase in January and William Hill Champion Chase in April .
Since his debut in 2021, Banbridge has won 11 first places. He has been announced to participate in this year’s King George VI Chase again.
For jockey Paul Townend and trainer Joseph O’Brien the win at the 2024 race was their first victory in the King George VI Chase.
King George VI Chase Records
The rules of the King George VI Chase allow horses of both genders to participate in the race once they reach the age of four. Since the upper limit is not established, any horse has the potential chance of participating and winning the competition more than once in their career. The most successful runners, jockeys, and trainers since 1948 were as follows:
- Leading horse: Kauto Star with 5 wins (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)
- Leading jockey: Ruby Walsh with 5 wins (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011; all riding Kauto Star)
- Leading trainer: Paul Nicholls with 13 wins (See More Business 1997, 1999, Kauto Star 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, Silviniaco Conti 2013, 2014, Clan Des Obeaux 2018, 2019, Frodon 2020, Bravemansgame 2022)
Betting is only available to participants above 18 years. Please bet responsibly. BeGambleAware.org