Horse Racing betting tips for Boxing Day: Best racing bets and picks for Kempton and more

Boxing Day is a festive racing bonanza with a host of Grade 1 contests across Britain and Ireland on an afternoon where there is hardly a moment to draw breath, with 11 meetings all running side by side.

We’ve picked out three best bets for the Boxing Day action, including one in the King George (2.30) at Kempton Park.

talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Get £35 in racing bets

Boxing Day Tips

• 12.45 Kempton – Noble Park @ 5/2 
• 1.35 Wetherby – Konfusion @ 11/10        
• 2.30 Kempton – Banbridge @ 16/1

12.45 Kempton – Noble Park @ 5/2

The opening race at Kempton can go the way of Nicky Henderson, who has his string in superb fettle with a 26 per-cent strike-rate in the fortnight before Christmas.

NOBLE PARK is 2-2 so far over fences for the Seven Barrows chief, quickly bettering anything he had managed over hurdles.

He won at Hereford (2m5f, good) in November when fancied to do so on chasing bow/seasonal comeback and really stepped up on that at Lingfield (2m4f, good) when routing his rivals by 24-lengths.

The runner-up scored at Ascot on Saturday for Ben Pauling in good style and while this Walk In The Park six-year-old is 11lb higher in the ratings now, he’s fancied to take some stopping in the Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase that opens the Kempton Christmas Festival.

1.35 Wetherby – Konfusion @ 11/10

The Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase is the feature at Wetherby and just five have stood their ground for the three-miler.

The youngest in the field is KONFUSION and he may take full advantage getting weight from his four rivals.

He has proved most consistent over fences and was a convincing winner of the Rehearsal Handicap Chase at Newcastle last time out, making 4-8 in this sphere.

He’s gone right up in the ratings but the likes of Knappers Hill, Our Power and Butch have toiled lately and November’s Cheltenham winner Marble Sands has a career-high mark of 155 to defy.

2.30 Kempton – Banbridge @ 16/1

As always, the King George is the crown jewel for British racing at this time of year and the eight-runner field that have been declared combine to give the impression we could be in for a vintage renewal.

A hot pace looks assured if recent efforts from Gaelic Warrior, The Jukebox Man, Djelo and Il Est Francais are used as a guide. It could be a burn up.

Gaelic Warrior and Fact To File represent Willie Mullins but they left nothing behind in their John Durkan duel recently and it could leave a mark. The latter is fancied to turn that neck-defeat around over a course and distance that appear optimal.

Arkle winner Jango Baie is not passed over readily but last year’s winner BANBRIDGE is too big to ignore with three places for each-way purposes.

He ran a stormer here last year and his stamina was probably stretched at Cheltenham and Aintree in the spring. His Cork comeback was over a trip too short, a race he contested en route here last year, and if a first-time visor perks him up, he’s a major player.

This race so often throws up repeat winners and horses that relish the challenge. Champion jockey Sean Bowen is as good a deputy as Joseph O’Brien could have asked for with Paul Townend committed to Gaelic Warrior and if they can hunt around in the rear, Banbridge has demonstrated he has the tool to finish off well at this venue.

talkSPORT BET welcome offer – Get £35 in racing bets

Visit talkSPORT BET for all the latest horse racing betting odds

*all odds correct at time of writing and subject to change

18+ New customers only. Opt in, deposit and bet £15 on Horse Racing odds of 2/1+ within 7 days of registration. Get 7x£5 in Free Bets for horse racing markets, which expire in 7 days. Scroll down for T&Cs. GambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chase their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• GamCare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to www.gamstop.co.uk to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites.

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. Gambleaware.org