The King George VI Chase, the Grade 1 that Kauto Star won five times, has been the centrepiece of Boxing Day racing at Kempton Park since 1946.
Kempton Park in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, runs the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day, Saturday 26 December 2026. Kauto Star won the Grade 1 five times under Ruby Walsh.
The race grew out of the Manor Selling Chase, run at Kempton in February. The course planned a new contest for Edward VIII, and after his abdication in 1936 it honoured his brother, running the first King George VI Chase in 1937.
Kempton held no racing from 1939 to 1945, when the course served as a prisoner-of-war camp. On its return in 1946 the race moved to Boxing Day.
Run over three miles, it is the middle leg of the Jockey Club Chase Triple Crown, between the Betfair Chase at Haydock Park and the Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Desert Orchid won it four times, and Arkle won in 1965.
In 2025 The Jukebox Man, ridden by Ben Jones, won it in a four-way photo finish. This year’s card also carries the Christmas Hurdle, a second Grade 1, and the Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase.
The Christmas Festival continues on Sunday 27 December with Kauto Star Chase Day.