Kempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park is the home of British racing on Boxing Day. The King George VI Chase is the great mid-winter test of the National Hunt season and the race that has crowned legendary chasers from Desert Orchid to Kauto Star.
RIGHT-HANDED
EST. 1878
About Kempton Park Racecourse
Kempton Park is the home of British racing on Boxing Day. The King George VI Chase is the great mid-winter test of the National Hunt season and the race that has crowned legendary chasers from Desert Orchid to Kauto Star. Kempton Park Racecourse is a dual-purpose racecourse hosting both flat and National Hunt fixtures, located at Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, TW16 5AQ.
King George VI Chase, Boxing Day
A real staple of the Christmas sporting calendar. Kauto Star won five times between 2006 and 2011 — including four in a row. Desert Orchid won on four occasions. Trainer Paul Nicholls has guided five different horses to a combined 12 King George victories.
Meetings & feature races
Kempton Park has staged racing since 1878 and operates both flat and National Hunt fixtures across the year. The track installed a polytrack all-weather surface in 2006, which now hosts a busy schedule of evening flat racing during winter and early spring.
King George VI Chase (Boxing Day)
One of the great races of the National Hunt season. Kauto Star has gone down in the record books with five wins, with all five coming under jockey Ruby Walsh and trainer Paul Nicholls. Wayward Lad claimed three. The race is famously a contest that suits fluent, attacking jumpers — Desert Orchid, Kauto Star and Bristol De Mai all fit that profile.
Christmas Hurdle (Boxing Day)
The middle leg of the Triple Crown of Hurdling and a Grade 1 over the minimum trip on Boxing Day. The Christmas Hurdle sits between the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle (late November) and the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham (March), and routinely attracts the leading two-mile hurdlers in training.
Sunbury Mile and all-weather flat (year-round)
Kempton’s polytrack hosts the headline Sunbury Mile in March, the closing race of the British all-weather championship season. The all-weather surface is one of the fairer in Britain and produces year-round evening racing for flat horses returning from the championship campaign and three-year-olds beginning their season.
Live races at Kempton Park
Upcoming races at Kempton
Live racecards from Kempton — pulled from our racing data feed, refreshed throughout the day.
No Kempton meetings scheduled in the next 14 days.
Check the UK Racing Predictor for races at other tracks today, or visit Kempton Racing Data for past meetings and statistics.
King George VI Chase — key trends
Best UK bookmakers for Kempton Park racing
The major race days at Kempton Park come with significant promotional support from UK bookmakers. Best Odds Guaranteed is standard at the leading sportsbooks; the offers below are the strongest currently available to new customers.
See all UK horse racing bonuses →
Course statistics & betting angles
Right-handed, flat, galloping with a sharp finish. Rewards fluent attacking jumpers. Desert Orchid, Kauto Star, Bristol De Mai all fit the type.
Course-and-distance form deserves real weight. Horses that have already won at Kempton frequently return to do so again.
Boxing Day ground usually good or good to soft. The polytrack all-weather plays consistently year-round.
Paul Nicholls dominates the King George (12 wins). Nicky Henderson, Willie Mullins, Dan Skelton all competitive.
How to watch racing at Kempton Park
ITV provides extensive live terrestrial coverage of the King George VI Chase, with their Boxing Day programme one of the highlights of the broadcaster’s racing year. Racing TV covers every Kempton card across both codes. For race-by-race tips and value picks, the horse.bet UK Racing Predictor publishes daily picks for every Kempton fixture.
Visiting Kempton Park
Kempton Park is one of the most accessible major racecourses in the south. Kempton Park railway station sits next to the course with direct trains from London Waterloo taking around 35 minutes. The M3 (Junction 1) is two minutes’ drive away. Boxing Day attracts huge crowds and tickets sell out well in advance.
Official Kempton Park Racecourse website →
Frequently asked questions
When is the King George VI Chase?
The King George VI Chase is always run on Boxing Day, 26 December, each year. It is the headline race of Kempton’s Christmas Festival.
Who has won the King George the most times?
Kauto Star, with five wins between 2006 and 2011, holds the record. Desert Orchid won four times. Trainer Paul Nicholls has trained 12 King George winners across five different horses.
Does Kempton host flat racing?
Yes. Kempton operates a polytrack all-weather course alongside its jumps track, hosting year-round flat racing including evening meetings throughout the winter.
Are King George tickets hard to get?
Yes. Boxing Day tickets sell out months in advance. Sign up to The Jockey Club mailing list to be notified when sales open the previous spring.
Where can I find King George tips?
The horse.bet UK Racing Predictor publishes Boxing Day picks the morning of racing, with full-field probability ratings and value plays.
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