Fans of horse racing betting won't be pleased to hear that the eagerly anticipated clash at Kempton Park on Boxing Day between four-time King George VI Chase winner Kauto Star and the 2010 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Commander is off, after news broke that the ‘Commander’ has not recovered in time from a cut leg sustained in victory at Haydock Park last month.
The Nigel Twiston-Davies trained Imperial Commander had appeared to be making good progress from the cut to a hind leg that he picked up when winning in grand style on his seasonal reappearance in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase, but an infection has ruled him out of his head-to-head with Kauto Star as the course of antibiotics and the time in his box would leave him short of his best for the December 26th contest.
Whilst the majority of National Hunt racing fans had expected Kauto Star to win anyway on a course that has become a second home to the Paul Nicholls-trained superstar, the prospect of the two top class horses taking each other on would have been guaranteed to put thousands on the gate and create significant media interest, even though Imperial Commander has never run well on the right-handed track and was quoted as an 8/1 shot in the horse racing odds to beat the reigning ‘King of Kempton’.
Connections of Imperial Commander appeared far from despondent and reminded jumps fans that their charge’s main task is to return to Cheltenham to defend his crown in March. He is not expected to have a prep race as he has always been a horse who goes well fresh.
Bookmakers reacted to the news by making Kauto Star a best priced Evens chance to win his fifth straight ‘King George’, the up-and-coming Nicky Henderson-trained Long Run is offered at 5/1, and it’s 10/1 bar the pair.
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