L’Homme Presse can stand tall in King George
11-8fav Chased leaders, ridden over 2f out, unable to make any impression, stayed on same pace, 6th of 9, 2 1/2l behind Fine Wine at Newcastle 5f stks (3yo+) (2). 9-2 Tracked leader, ridden 2f out, stayed on without troubling winner, 2nd of 4, 3 1/2l behind The Wizard Of Eye at Kempton 1m Listed stks (1) pol in Nov. 14-1 Prominent, ridden over 2f out, every chance over 1f out, held final 50 yards, 2nd of 9, 3/4l behind Fine Wine at Newcastle 5f stks (3yo+) (2).
40-1 Tracked leaders, pushed along 3f out, lost place over 2f out, 12th of 13, 14l behind Asjad at Doncaster 6f hcp 0-105 (2) sft in Sep.
6-4fav 4th of 9, 3 1/2l behind Amellata at Chantilly(FR) 6f 3yo stk gs in Sep.
7-1 Raced wide in touch, ridden 2f out, kept on inside final furlong, not trouble leaders, 5th of 9, 2 3/4l behind Summerghand at Lingfield 6f Listed stks (1) pol in Nov. 12-1 In touch in mid-division, switched right and headway 2f out, went 3rd well inside final furlong, kept on, 3rd of 7, 1l behind Alligator Alley at Wolverhampton 5f 3yo hcp 0-105 (2).
18-1 In rear, ridden 2f out, headway and every chance 1f out, kept on, 2nd of 10, nk behind Makinmedoit at Lingfield 1m 2f 3yo hcp 0-105 (2) pol in Nov. 9-4fav Led and set steady pace, headed over 4f out, settled in 3rd 4f out, rallied on inside over 1f out, ridden and went 2nd final furlong, no chance with winner, 2nd of 5, 2 1/4l behind Excel Power at Chelmsford City 1m 3yo hcp 0-105 (2) pol.
4-1 Midfield, pushed along 2f out, ridden to lead inside final furlong, ran on well, won at Wolverhampton 1m 1f hcp 0-90 (3) in Nov beating Diamond Ranger by 1/2l, 12 ran. 11-4fav In touch, ridden over 1f out, stayed on same pace, 4th of 10, 2 1/4l behind Makinmedoit at Lingfield 1m 2f 3yo hcp 0-105 (2) pol in Nov. 4-1 Dwelt, rear of midfield, shaken up over 1f out, short of room inside final furlong, kept on, 7th of 10, 3l behind Makinmedoit at Lingfield 1m 2f 3yo hcp 0-105 (2) pol in Nov.
L’Homme Presse
L’HOMME PRESSE can come of age with victory in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton.
A small but select field will go to post for the Boxing Day highlight, with champion trainer Paul Nicholls possessing a strong hand as he bids to add to his record King George haul of 12 victories.
As the choice of stable jockey Harry Cobden, Bravemansgame appears the number one hope for Ditcheat, with this race pencilled in as his main objective since his brilliant display in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on the same card 12 months ago.
The seven-year-old looked good in winning the Charlie Hall at Wetherby on his reappearance, but what that form is worth is open to question, and at the current odds Bravemansgame looks opposable.
His stablemate Hitman is on an upward curve and impressed at Haydock last month, but needs to take another big step forward, while Nicholls’ 2020 King George hero Frodon is not the force he once was.
Henry de Bromhead’s Envoi Allen, who once looked unbeatable, proved he is not a busted flush with victory in the Ladbrokes Champion Chase at Down Royal last month, but even connections have admitted he has a breathing issue that cannot be completely rectified and he is hard to rely on as a result.
With all that in mind, L’Homme Presse - who is officially 5lb clear on official ratings - looks the most solid betting proposition for Venetia Williams and Charlie Deutsch.