Boxing Day is a bonanza

5:46pm Saturday 24th December 2005

The stage is set for the Boxing day bonanza with race meetings all over the country, the highlight of the day being the King George VI chase at Sandown.

Local racing fans are catered for at Wincanton where the feature race of the day will be the £15,000 Bathwick Tyres Mid-season Chase plus a further six races to claw back the Christmas expenses.

Stephen Higgins, racecourse manager, said: "The annual Boxing Day meeting always proves popular.

"There is a real festival feel to the course and it's a great opportunity for people to enjoy a day out, doing something different during the holiday period.

"Gates open on the day at 10.15am with the first race starting at 12.25pm.

"Entry for children under 16 is free together with plenty of free car parking."

The big race at Sandown has been switched from Kempton.

Favourite f Kicking King will no doubt have his followers but will need to be at his best over the Sandown fences.

The Robert Alner-trained Kingscliff, will be on the £1 million trail. Victory in the race will take the West Country gelding just one step away from winning the inaugural Betfair Million, a bonus payable to the connections of any horse who wins the Betfair Lancashire Chase, King George and Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Alner, who trains at Locketts farm in Dorset gave the racing press a chance to look over his charge recently at a press open morning and reported Kingscliff to be at the top of his game.

The only fly in the ointment is that he will be without his regular jockey Robert Walford who has a hairline fracture of the shoulder.

Northern jockey Tony Dobbin comes in for the ride.

A small field is likely to go to post and another with a fair chance is the Henrietta Knight-trained Impek, who's recent form has been outstanding.

The Wantage trainer will have Champion jockey Tony McCoy in the saddle who rode Impek to win the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon earlier in the year.

Lambourn trainer Nicky Henderson, who has his string in cracking form, is likely to run Irish Hussar causing stable jockey Mick Fitzgerald to desert one of the other leading fancies for the race the Francois Doumen trained L'Ami now ridden by Timmy Murphy.

Trainer Paul Nicholls has Royal Auclair and Cornish Rebel entered for the race with the former more likely to represent the stable.

Armchair racing fans looks set to witness a great race with punters having their own particular fancy, however this column's selection is for Kingscliff to just have the edge on Kicking King over the Sandown fences, with the improving Impek a danger.