Banbridge

Banbridge put up the best performance of his life in winning the King George. He didn't have a whole lot of racing room over either of the first two fences, which left him further back than ideal in a race in which Il Est Francais had an easy time of it up front. He had plenty to do as they raced out of the back straight, but Paul Townend didn't panic, he allowed his move up on the outside around the home turn and they were in the home straight before he asked him for his effort. Banbridge stayed on strongly over the last two fences, collared the leader on the run-in and went on to win by almost two lengths.

It was a career-best performance by Joseph O'Brien's horse, racing over the longest trip over which he has ever raced over fences. He has pace too, he won the Arkle Trial at Cheltenham as a novice over two miles, and he won the Champion Chase at Punchestown last April, but he also won the Martin Pipe Hurdle, a race that is almost always a test of stamina more than it is a test of pace, and now he has won a King George.

More than that, the figures tell you that he stayed the three-mile trip well. He was faster than all his rivals through each of the last four furlongs, and his overall time through that part of the race was 55.1secs, 2.26secs faster than the next fastest. Importantly, the next fastest was Il Est Francais, which tells you that Banbridge wasn't the beneficiary of a pace collapse. He had to go and pick up the leader, who was keeping on well. Banbridge is favourite for the Ryanair Chase at Cheltenham, but connections haven't ruled out the Gold Cup, and that is significant. He will have an extra two and a half furlongs to go if he does go for the Gold Cup, and that will be an unknown, but, given the strength with which he finished off his race in the King George, there is every chance that he will get it all right. And we know that he goes well at Cheltenham, he has won there twice, his only defeat coming in the Ryanair Chase there in 2023 on soft ground. Soft ground would be a worry, and good to soft ground is not a given any more at the Cheltenham Festival, the last two renewals of the Gold Cup have been run on soft ground. But two of the previous seven were run on good ground, and four were run on good to soft, and that would be fine for Banbridge.

Kempton, 26^th December 2024