Knight's ace pair - 24/12/02

At Kempton, Best Mate, last season's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, will line-up for the traditional Yuletide showpiece, the £150,000 Pertemps King George VI Chase, while at Wetherby, Edredon Bleu carries the Knight hopes in the £40,000 skybet.com Castleford Chase.

Britain's former top two-mile chaser, Edredon Bleu, now in the twilight of his career as he approaches his 12th birthday, remains a force to be reckoned with on the evidence of his two outings this season.

Successful at Exeter on his reappearance, Edredon Bleu chased home a bang-in-form Cenkos on his latest start in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown.

Provided ground conditions do not come up too testing at Wetherby, the spring-heeled Edredon Bleu is surely the one they've all got to beat in this prestigious Grade 2 contest.

Durham-based Grand National winning jockey Richard Guest has been called-up for the ride.

With Jim Culloty, Knight's retained jockey, unluckily sidelined through suspension, Tony McCoy comes in for the mount on Best Mate for the second successive year in the King George.

Twelve months ago, the partnership had to play second-fiddle to Florida Pearl, but Best Mate has since won the Gold Cup, and is fancied to turn the tables this time.

A wonderful-looking individual, Best Mate impressed when making a successful reappearance at Huntingdon last month.

He is a worthy favourite in what, nevertheless, promises to be a cracking race, with Bacchanal, French raider Douze Douze and Irish challenger Native Upmanship all capable of producing an upset.

The Grade 1 Pertemps Christmas Hurdle sees the reappearance of Davenport Millennium, but, for all his ability and potential, Willie Mullins' charge has not run since April and he might find Jonjo O'Neill's Intersky Falcon, easy winner of the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle last month, too hot to handle.

The unbeaten Lord Sam (12.40) and the brilliant French-trained chaser Jair Du Cochet (1.10) will also be worthy of close attention at Kempton.

Back at Wetherby, a note should be made of my Nap selection Europa in the Sky Bet Handicap Chase.

Tom Tate's talented gelding made a successful return to action at Doncaster recently and is open to plenty of further improvement. He should prove hard to beat.

Always Rainbows (12.30), a previous course and distance winner, who was a final flight faller at Haydock last time when looking likely to follow-up, can get back on the winning trail.

The bold-jumping Jungle Jinks (1.05) might have too much firepower for Moss Harvey in the novices' chase.

Elsewhere, Lord Jack (1.20), already a winner at Sedgefield this winter, has excellent prospects of gaining a second course success, while at Market Rasen, Sheriff Hutton trainer Mick Easterby has useful chances with Rigadoon (3.00) and Gastornis (3.30).

Up at Ayr, Norton trainer Jimmy FitzGerald's in-form Star Jack (2.00) reverts to hurdles and goes for a hat-trick of wins, while The Bajan Bandit (12.55), of who big things are expected over fences, is my fancy to have the edge over the likewise well-regarded Byron Lamb in the opening race.

A happy Christmas - and happy punting - to all racing enthusiasts.

Boxing day tips:

Wetherby

12.30 Always Rainbows, 1.05 Jungle Jinks, 1.35 Europa (Nap), 2.10 Camp Nou, 2.45 Edredon Bleu, 3.20 The Nomad.

Kempton

12.40 Lord Sam, 1.10 Jair Du Cochet, 1.45 Intersky Falcon, 2.20 Best Mate, 2.55 Joyeux Royale, 3.30 One Nation.

Sedgefield

12.50 Tufty Hopper, 1.20 Lord Jack, 1.50 Decoded, 2.25 Star Trooper, 3.00 Kimdaloo, 3.30 Brooksby Whorlton.

Market Rasen

1.00 Son Of A Gun, 1.30 Fireaway, 2.00 Formal Bid, 2.30 The Grey Dyer, 3.00 Rigadoon. 3.30 Gastornis.

Ayr

12.55 The Bajan Bandit, 1.30 Jupiter de Bussy, 2.00 Star Jack, 2.35 Yankee Jamie, 3.05 Sir Norman, 3.35 Glenmoss Tara.

Wincanton

12.30 Tealby, 1.00 Blue Ride, 1.30 Tommy Trooper, 2.05 Fadalko, 2.40 Jollie Bollie, 3.15 Restless Wind, 3.45 Dick Turpin.

Updated: 10:00 Tuesday, December 24, 2002