Ladbrokes are still offering 3/1 that Kauto Star wins the King George, but punters should move to mop up this price quickly as there are whispers that he could even go off favourite on race day at Kempton.
Long Run currently heads the King George market at 5/4 for the Boxing Day showpiece, but the money is all expected to come for Kauto Star in the build up to the race. You can get your free £50 bet on the 2011 King George at
Ladbrokes now.
A majority of these bets will come from loyal punters hoping that Kauto Star can provide them with yet another career victory after a distinguished career.
Meanwhile, others generally believe that Kauto Star can repeat his victory over Long Run last month at Haydock in the Betfair Chase.
The general consensus has been that Kauto Star was trained primarily to peak in this race and a combination of this and the fact that Long Run required the run to sharpen him up helped settle the final result.
However, trainer Paul Nicholls feels that Kauto Star has come out of the race well and is still showing the enthusiasm in his work at home to suggest he is capable of landing the King George at Kempton for a record fifth time.
Furthermore, Kempton is believed to suit Kauto Star more than other circuits like Haydock and especially Cheltenham and this could be a factor.
Long Run’s weakness is known to be his inconsistent jumping and if Kauto Star gets into a rhythm from the front on a course he knows and loves, Long Run could find himself under pressure early, which would theoretically result in more jumping errors.
If all horses run to their best, Long Run would take all of the beating and punters fancying him to repeat his King George victory last year may be wise to be patient for a better price in the coming days.
