The Ladbrokes Christmas Festival is a worthy present for any of us who enjoy National Hunt racing.
With twelve top-quality races spread over Boxing day and the 27th of December, there's little else we'd rather be doing than watching the action.
Kempton Park is the host of the festival and will open its gates to thousands of racegoers across the two days.
If you live locally, it's well worth attending if you can, but you can also enjoy watching live coverage on television if you can't make the trip.
We've got the lowdown on what to expect from one of the biggest sporting events of the horse racing calendar, as well as our pick of horses for the main event, the King George VI Chase.
The Order of Things
It can be hard to know what to expect if you've not been to the races before.
Things start in the pre-parade ring, where horses loosen up their limbs and get ready to see the crowds in the parade ring itself. Shortly before the race, horses are tacked up and make their way to the parade ring, where jockeys mount and punters can get a good look at the horses before they canter down to the start.
Once everybody is at the start and in good order, the flag is raised, and the race begins.
Watching from the grandstand offers the best view of the racing, but standing at the winning post is exhilarating as the thunder of hooves comes past you.
Once the winner passes the post, the horses return to the stables before all the placed horses make their way to the winner's enclosure.
Jockeys are weighed in to check that they're riding at the stated weight, and after that, people can collect their winnings from successful bets.
King George VI Chase
The King George VI Chase is a 3-mile jumps race in which horses have to successfully navigate 18 fences. It's the second richest race in the British jumps racing calendar, next to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. A prize pool of £250,000 in 2022 will be divided between the winning places.
There have been plenty of historical moments in the running of the race, but two horses stand out in particular.
Desert Orchid won the race four times back to back and is commemorated in the Desert Orchid Chase, which takes place on the second day of the festival.
The second horse, Kauto Star, won the race five times and helped Paul Nicholls cement himself as the most successful trainer ever in the race, having won twelve times to date.
Allaho
Whilst nobody can predict the results for sure, it wouldn't be a big surprise to see Allaho heading up the horse racing results for the King George VI Chase. With his dual success in the Ryanair Chase, this big, imposing horse doesn't have much to prove over his competitors.
However, trainer Willie Mullins has recently disclosed that Allaho might not be running in the chase after all, stating that he's had a setback in training. He's still entered, so it will be interesting to see if he makes it.
Bravemansgame
Bravemansgame is the out-and-out favourite to win the King George VI Chase across almost all bookmakers. Trained by Paul Nicholls, he's already got a head start with a yard record like that behind him.
Nicholls always gets his horses incredibly fit before big races, and, bouncing off the back of his impressive race in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, it looks like Bravemansgame already is. He's only been beaten once over fences, too, and with his rangy build, he is every inch the three-mile chaser.
ENGLAND defeated India by 22 runs on the final day of the third test at Lord’s on Monday to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
The match ended when Shoaib Bashir bowled Mohammed Siraj for four. Siraj had tried to defend the ball, but it rolled off his bat and hit the stumps, leaving him looking back in disbelief. As England players celebrated, Ravindra Jadeja remained unbeaten on 61 and walked off after coming close to pulling off a remarkable win for India.
Earlier in the day, England were in control, reducing India to 112-8 at lunch while defending a target of 193. But Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah added resistance, battling for nearly two hours and taking India close.
Late fight from Jadeja and Bumrah
Jadeja was given out lbw to Chris Woakes, but the decision was overturned on review. He followed it up with a six over mid-wicket, drawing loud cheers from Indian fans. England eventually broke the stand when Bumrah, on five, top-edged a pull shot off Ben Stokes and was caught by substitute fielder Sam Cook.
The crowd reacted with a mix of joy and relief, but Jadeja kept frustrating England. He reached his half-century off 150 balls by edging Stokes over the slips for four.
Siraj stayed in for 30 balls and made four runs while Jadeja farmed the strike. He managed several singles off the fourth ball of each over to retain the strike. Siraj took a blow on the shoulder from a Jofra Archer delivery before he was dismissed.
England dominate morning session
England took four wickets in the morning after India resumed on 58-4. Rishabh Pant hit a one-handed straight drive for four off Archer to move to nine, but Archer hit back two balls later by knocking out his off stump.
Stokes trapped KL Rahul lbw for 39. The umpire initially turned down the appeal, but the decision was overturned on review, leading to loud cheers from the crowd.
Washington Sundar was out for a duck, caught by Archer off his own bowling with a one-handed dive to his right.
Jadeja and Nitish Kumar Reddy then shared a stand of 30 runs, showing solid defence. But just before lunch, Woakes found the edge of Reddy’s bat, giving England a key breakthrough. The team left the field to warm applause from the packed crowd.
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Brydon Carse celebrates dismissing Karun Nair during day four of the 3rd Test between England and India at Lord's Cricket Ground on July 13, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)
INDIA were left needing 135 more runs to win with six wickets in hand after a top-order collapse on the fourth day of the third Test against England at Lord’s on Sunday.
Chasing 193 for victory, India ended the day on 58-4 after earlier bowling out England for 192 in their second innings. Washington Sundar was the pick of the bowlers with 4-22, dismissing Joe Root, Jamie Smith and England captain Ben Stokes on an increasingly challenging surface.
Both teams had posted 387 in their first innings.
India’s chase began poorly when Yashasvi Jaiswal was out for a duck, skying a hook off Jofra Archer to wicketkeeper Jamie Smith. Karun Nair was trapped lbw by Brydon Carse, before Shubman Gill – who already has a double century and two other hundreds in this series – also fell lbw.
In the final over of the day, Ben Stokes dismissed nightwatchman Akash Deep, triggering loud celebrations from the home crowd.
KL Rahul, who had scored exactly 100 in the first innings, remained unbeaten on 33, hitting a few boundaries.
Earlier, Root and Stokes put on 67 for the fifth wicket after England had resumed on 2-0 and slipped to 87-4. Root, who made a century in the first innings, was bowled behind his legs for 40 while attempting a sweep off Sundar.
Smith, who came into the match with scores of 184 not out, 88 and 51 in the series, was bowled for eight by a Sundar delivery that kept low. England were 164-6 at that stage, with Sundar having taken 2-3 in 11 balls.
Stokes showed patience through the second session but was bowled for 33 while attempting a slog off Sundar. England were 181-7 when he walked back, hitting his bat on the ground in frustration.
Jasprit Bumrah then dismissed Carse and Chris Woakes before Sundar ended the innings by bowling Shoaib Bashir.
England’s second innings began with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett at the crease on 2-0. Duckett hit a four off Mohammed Siraj but was soon dismissed when he miscued a pull and was caught by Bumrah at mid-on. Siraj celebrated by shouting in Duckett’s face, and the incident, which also included shoulder contact, may draw attention from match referee Richie Richardson.
Crawley and Ollie Pope then negotiated a spell from Bumrah, who had taken 5-74 in England’s first innings after being rested for the previous Test.
Siraj got Pope lbw on review, and England quickly slipped from 42-2 to 50-3. Crawley was caught in the gully by Jaiswal off Nitish Kumar Reddy, playing a drive that edged straight to the fielder.
Reddy appeared to exchange words with Crawley as he walked off, following Saturday’s time-wasting incident.
Harry Brook came in and hit three boundaries off Akash Deep – two scoops and a six over long-off – but was bowled for 23 trying to sweep. Deep had the last word as Brook missed an over-ambitious shot.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Sinner said he was living his 'dream', receiving a loud reaction from the Centre Court crowd. (Photo: Getty Images)
Sinner becomes the first Italian man to win singles at the All England Club
Sinner avenges French Open loss, wins in four sets
Sinner and Alcaraz have now shared the last seven Grand Slam titles
Jannik Sinner beat Carlos Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday to win his first Wimbledon title and take revenge for his loss to the Spaniard in the French Open final.
The 23-year-old world number one became the first Italian man to win the singles title at the All England Club and now holds four Grand Slam titles.
Sinner lost the opening set but gained momentum quickly and closed out the match in just over three hours. He had missed three championship points in his French Open final loss five weeks ago, but this time made no mistake.
Sinner said he was living his dream, receiving a loud reaction from the Centre Court crowd.
Sinner thanks Alcaraz, calls win a dream An amazing tournament, but mostly thank you for the player you are, Sinner said, addressing Alcaraz after the match. It's so difficult to play against you, but we have an amazing relationship off the court and on the court... Keep going, keep pushing and you are going to hold this (trophy) many times. You already have two!
Sinner and two-time defending Wimbledon champion Alcaraz have now shared the past seven Grand Slam titles between them, with Sinner winning four. Their rivalry is seen as a key one for the post-Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic era.
In the French Open final last month, Sinner had taken a two-set lead and held multiple championship points before Alcaraz came back to win. On Sunday, Sinner said he used that loss as motivation.
We tried to accept the loss and just kept working, he said. This is for sure one of the reasons I am holding this trophy here. I am just so grateful that I am healthy and have great people around me, and holding this trophy means a lot.
Match turns after first set Before the Wimbledon final, Sinner had lost five times in a row to Alcaraz, including the Italian Open final, which was his first tournament after returning from a doping ban. He reversed that run at Wimbledon, preventing Alcaraz, 22, from winning his sixth Grand Slam.
In the final, Alcaraz hit a forehand long to give Sinner the first break of the match. The Spaniard then broke back to level at 4-4 in the opening set. Sinner double-faulted to give Alcaraz a set point, which the world number two converted with a backhand winner.
Sinner broke early in the second set and led 3-1 before a brief stoppage due to a champagne cork on court. He closed out the set with a forehand winner to level the match.
The third set went with serve until 4-4, when Sinner broke as Alcaraz slipped on the baseline. Sinner then took a two-sets-to-one lead. He broke again in the fourth set and served out the match on his second championship point.
Strong campaign, historic result Sinner had a strong start to his Wimbledon campaign, losing just 17 games in his first three rounds — matching an Open era record set in 1972. He advanced through the fourth round after Grigor Dimitrov retired with an injury while leading by two sets. Sinner then beat 10th seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals and defeated seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Alcaraz was aiming to become only the fifth man in the Open era to win three consecutive Wimbledon titles after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
It is a really well-deserved trophy after an unbelievable two weeks here in London for you, playing great tennis, Alcaraz said to Sinner.
Sinner said the French Open loss helped him prepare emotionally for Sunday’s final.
I would say mostly emotionally because I had a very tough loss in Paris. But it doesn't matter how you win or lose, you just have to understand what you did wrong and try to work on it, Sinner said. This is what we did. This is one of the reasons I'm here holding this trophy.
Trying to become a better tennis player, but mostly a better person ♥️
Reflecting on his career, Sinner added: It’s so special. We were talking before the match. We would never have thought of being in this position back in the days when I was young. It was just a dream. This was so far away from where I am from.
Alcaraz, who had won 24 matches in a row coming into the final, said he had no regrets.
It's difficult to lose but first of all I have to congratulate Jannik. It is a really well-deserved trophy. He was playing great tennis, Alcaraz said.
Really happy to be able to build a really good relationship with him off the court and a great rivalry on the court.
Alcaraz added: Really proud of everything I'm doing. At the beginning of the season I struggled a bit and then suddenly I started to bring joy to the court again. Wimbledon is one of the most beautiful tournaments that we have on tour. I feel at home every time that I come here. It is such a beautiful court. The atmosphere is insane. It's a great journey so far. I just want to keep it going.
A GRIPPING third day of the third Test at Lord’s ended in controversy on Saturday (12) as England opener Zak Crawley was accused of time-wasting, with tempers flaring between players from both sides.
What began as a tense cricketing contest turned into a verbal battle, as England and India pointed fingers at each other over questionable delays late in the day.
With just six minutes left on the clock, India were expecting to bowl two overs after matching England's first-innings total of 387 all out, thanks to a century from KL Rahul and fifties from Ravindra Jadeja and Rishabh Pant.
Instead, only one over was bowled as Crawley twice pulled away from his stance and then summoned the physio after a short ball from Jasprit Bumrah brushed his glove. The move, seen by many as deliberate stalling, sparked fury from India’s captain Shubman Gill.
Broadcast microphones picked up Gill swearing in frustration, prompting an apology from Sky Sports. The on-field tension escalated as Crawley and Gill exchanged heated words, with England’s Ben Duckett also stepping in.
The players jabbed fingers and shared angry glances, turning the cricket field into a scene more reminiscent of a football sideline spat.
India struck early on Sunday (13), with Mohammed Siraj removing both Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, before Zak Crawley was caught in the gully off Nitish Kumar Reddy. England slipped to 56 for 3.
England bowling coach Tim Southee attempted to deflect the criticism, pointing out India’s own delays earlier in the match. “I’m not sure what they were complaining about when Gill was lying down getting a massage yesterday,” he remarked. “Both sides showed a lot of energy, which made for great drama.”
Crawley’s fitness will be assessed overnight, with Southee offering only a dry, “Hopefully he’ll be alright to carry on tomorrow.”
India’s KL Rahul, who scored his 10th Test century and second at Lord’s, was less than surprised. “Two overs is a no-brainer with six minutes to go,” he said. “But it was a bit of theatrics. Everyone knows what was going on.”
Former England skipper and BBC pundit Michael Vaughan described Crawley's tactics as “as good a piece of time-wasting as I’ve ever seen.” He added, “India can’t complain—Gill was down with a hamstring strain yesterday. But what great drama and what a great day.”
Earlier, Rahul and Pant had built a solid 141-run stand before Pant was run out for 74, undone by a sharp direct hit from Ben Stokes. Rahul followed soon after, caught at slip for exactly 100 off Shoaib Bashir. Bashir, however, left the field with a suspected finger injury shortly after dismissing the centurion.
Jadeja steadied India’s innings with another crucial knock of 72, his third consecutive fifty, while new batter Nitish Kumar Reddy added 30 before being caught behind. A late 50-run partnership with Washington Sundar helped India pull level with England, before Sundar fell for 23.
England’s reply before stumps was brief but eventful. Crawley and Duckett finished the day unbeaten at 2-0, but not before reigniting tensions with Indian players. Shubman Gill mockingly applauded Crawley’s call for a physio, clearly unimpressed by what he saw as gamesmanship.
(Agencies)
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Poland's Iga Swiatek celebrates with the trophy after winning the women's singles final against Amanda Anisimova of the US. REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
IGA SWIATEK took another stride towards tennis greatness by ruthlessly tearing apart American 13th seed Amanda Anisimova 6-0 6-0 and lifting her first Wimbledon trophy on Saturday (12).
The big occasion turned into a nightmare for Anisimova who became the first woman to lose a Wimbledon final by that painful scoreline since 1911 and the first to do so at any major since Steffi Graf routed Natasha Zvereva at the 1988 French Open.
Already a US Open champion and a four-times French Open winner, Swiatek's demolition job at the All England Club meant that she became the youngest woman since a 20-year-old Serena Williams in 2002 to lift major titles on all three surfaces.
Her superb display on the sun-drenched lawns of London also ensured that she emerged as the first player since Monica Seles in 1992 to win her first six major finals.
"It's something that is just surreal. I feel like tennis keeps surprising me, and I keep surprising myself," Swiatek told reporters after hoisting the gilded Venus Rosewater Dish.
"I'm really happy with the whole process, how it looked like from the first day we stepped on a grasscourt. Yeah, I feel like we did everything for it to go in that direction without expecting it, just working really hard.
"It means a lot, and it gives me a lot of experience. Yeah, I don't even know. I'm just happy."
Swiatek's triumph ended a barren 13-month run for the Polish 24-year-old, who served a short suspension late last year after an inadvertent doping violation linked to contaminated sleep medication melatonin.
"I want to thank my coach (Wim Fissette). With the ups and downs now, we showed everybody it's working," Swiatek added.
On another warm afternoon on Centre Court, Swiatek got off to a scorching start by breaking a nervous Anisimova three times en route to dishing out the first bagel, prompting some spectators to get behind the shell-shocked American.
A frustrated Anisimova shrieked and desperately looked to her team in the stands for any kind of guidance after conceding yet another break point early in the second set and it was not long before her machine-like opponent pulled away further.
Anisimova continued to disappointingly crack under pressure, before Swiatek completed the brutal mauling in 57 minutes with a backhand winner on her second match point to become the first Wimbledon champion from Poland.
Polish prime minister Donald Tusk celebrated with a picture of himself watching a post-match interview while holding a bowl of pasta and strawberries, Swiatek's cheat meal at Wimbledon, while president Andrzej Duda was effusive in his praise.
"Iga! Today, on the grasscourts of Wimbledon, you wrote history - not only for Polish sport, but also for Polish pride. On behalf of the Republic of Poland - thank you," Duda wrote.
Victory took Swiatek to 100 wins from 120 matches at the majors, making her the quickest to get to there since Williams in 2004, and denied Anisimova the chance to become the first American to win the title since her compatriot in 2016.
Swiatek jumped for joy on court before running towards her team in the stands to celebrate her triumph. The Friends fan was equally delighted to receive a congratulatory hug from American actress Courteney Cox, who was among the spectators.
All this while, Anisimova was left to wonder what could have been as she sat in her seat, before the tears began to flow during her on-court interview.
Few would have envisioned the American to hit the heights she did in the last fortnight after she fell outside the top 400 following her mental health break two years ago.
"I didn't have enough today," said Anisimova, who began the tournament with a 6-0 6-0 win over Yulia Putintseva but admitted to running out of gas in the final.
"I'm going to keep putting in the work, and I always believe in myself. I hope to be back again one day."
It was bitter disappointment for US fans hoping for an "American Slam" this year after Madison Keys won the Australian Open at the start of the year and Coco Gauff triumphed at the French Open last month.