Boxing Day Horse Racing Tips 2022: Our best bets from Kempton and Wetherby on Monday

Horse racing fans are treated to a whopping eleven fixtures on Boxing Day and there's some top quality action across the UK & Ireland with some of the stars of the sport strutting their stuff. Our in-house tipster Steve Chambers focuses his attentions on the live ITV Racing action and picks out his best bets from Kempton Park and Wetherby...

12:45 Kempton - Long Walk Hurdle

With Ascot being forced to abandon the Long Walk Hurdle a week ago, Kempton Park's Boxing Day card has managed to save the prestigious Grade 1 contest and it will take place early in the afternoon at Kempton on December 26 and a field of five will go to post. One of the leading trials for the Stayers' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, the Long Walk Hurdle has a long line of top notch winners on his roll of honour and the standout of the quintet is the classy Jonjo O'Neill-trained CHAMP, who was a fine winner of this race 12 months ago.

Dual winner of this race and former Stayers' Hurdle hero Paisley Park will be a big thorn in the side of Champ, but the Jackdaws Castle inmate got the better of that adversary when the pair met in the Long DIstance Hurdle, and while the winning margin was only a neck, this track may not play into the hands of Paisley Park, who excels when there's a real test of stamina.

Champ oozes class on his day, as does Goshen, who also lines up here, but has been an enigma throughout his career, so it's worth sticking with Champ, who should have a bit too much toe for Paisley Park in the closing stages, and while Emma Lavelle's charge will be staying on in the final furlong the JP McManus-owned Champ can add another notable Graded win to his CV.

13:20 Kempton - Kauto Star Novices' Chase

We see another quintet line up at Kempton in the 13:20, which is the Grade 1 Kauto Star Novices' Chase, and this is often a race targeted by those looking to book their place in the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March and heading the betting, at the time of writing, is the Paul Nicholls-trained Mcfabulous. With five wins in the race, the Nicholls team always have a strong performer lining up and Mcfabulous stormed to an impressive six-and-a-half length victory over Thyme Hill in a Grade 2 at Newbury last time out, and will look to frank that form again.

Rightly shorter in the betting, Mcfabulous was receiving 3lbs from THYME HILL at Newbury, but they will be off level weights in this contest, so the Philip Hobbs-trained raider could prove to be a notable rival here, as he makes only his third chasing star. A really top notch hurdler, Thyme Hill was an easy winner on his chasing debut at Exeter, but then failed to fire in that Newbury Grade 2.

Runner-up in last season's Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham, Thyme Hill is a real class act on his day and if the Hobbs team can brush up on his jumping for this test then he could well reverse the form with Mcfabulous, who himself pulled up on his first chasing start, and with the rain hitting Kempton it could turn into a real stamina test and with bundles of it, Thyme Hill could land the prize here.

13:35 Wetherby - Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase

One of the most exciting betting races of the afternoon on ITV is the hugely competitive Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase, which will see the return of Dan Skelton's Shan Blue, who makes his first start since finishing second in a handicap chase at Aintree's Grand National meeting. Potentially progressive off his current mark, this is a tough ask on seasonal return and he could prove vulnerable to some race-fit rivals.

The one that certainly fits that mould is the Ruth Jefferson-trained SOUNDS RUSSIAN, who has been rocketing up the ranks over the last 12 to 18 months and is bidding for a fifth success in his last seven outings. A hugely impressive four-and-a-half length victory at Kelso on his comeback run in October, he was then sent into Grade 2 company at Aintree, where he finished a fine fourth in the Many Clouds Chase. That is top notch form with Grand National winner Noble Yeats pushing his name into the Cheltenham Gold Cup picture, while King George VI Chase bound Ahoy Senor was also just in front of him.

He will need to win off a career high mark of 157 in this contest, but he's in exceptional form and while some of his rivals have been struggling of late for notable consistency this Jefferson raider could be a potential springer in the contest and looks the way to go in a fabulous renewal.

14:30 Kempton - King George VI Chase

With a three-pronged attack, Paul Nicholls has a strong hand in the King George VI Chase as he bids for a record-breaking 13th victory in the Kempton Christmas cracker and while 2020 winner Frodon will be part of his team along with the progressive Hitman, it's last year's Kauto Star Novices' Chase winner BRAVEMANSGAME that will be the primary shot fired from team Ditcheat.

His likely market rival and biggest danger will be last season's impressive Brown Advisory Novices' Chase winner L'Homme Presse, who showed his Cheltenham Gold Cup credentials with a fine weight-carrying display in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle, and this pair are set to serve up a real festive thriller.

Adding in Irish star Envoi Allen, the 2022 King George VI Chase is full of intrigue, but the one to side with his Bravemansgame, who was stunning en route to victory at this meeting 12 months ago, as he scooted clear of Ahoy Senor, and that pair do battle here. A fine winner of the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, Bravemansgame is a top notch performer on a going day and with a flat track to play to his strengths he could well get L'Homme Presse out of his comfort zone here and the Nicholls charge can storm to glory in fine fashion.