The Real Whacker to be added to King George field

Patrick Neville has confirmed his intention to supplement The Real Whacker for the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase.

An unbeaten novice two seasons ago, including a thrilling victory over Gerri Colombe at the Cheltenham Festival, the eight-year-old lost his way slightly last term, but did manage to finish fourth in the King George and second in the Cotswold Chase.

He got his career back on track with a superb display in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby in early November and subsequently sidestepped the Betfair Chase at Haydock after heavy rain on the day turned conditions testing.

The Real Whacker initially looked set to wait for a second stab at the Cotswold Chase in late January en-route to another tilt at the Gold Cup, but with the weather looking relatively dry over the festive period, Neville is keen to roll the dice in Kempton’s Boxing Day showpiece.

“He’s in good form and he’ll probably run next week in the King George,” the trainer said at Catterick on Tuesday.

“The weather forecast and everything is coming right and he’s in great form, so why not?

“I didn’t enter him originally as we were going a different route, but with the ground the way it is, we’ll give it a go.”