POLITOLOGUE won’t be out of place when it comes to raw ability in the 32Red King George VI Chase and, at the prices, it’s worth chancing he’s able to stay the trip well enough at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Paul Nicholls' grey has had a touch of class from the outset since joining the team but only broke through at Grade One level last season when landing the Betfair Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown over two miles.

That success came between two Grade Two wins at Exeter and Kempton – all around two miles – but he was then slightly outpaced on a couple of occasions against Altior, firstly in the Game Spirit at Newbury, and then the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.

His Festival fourth doesn’t quite tell the whole story, though, as he completely boiled over before the start and ultimately wasn’t able to give his running.

The hood went on at Aintree, when stepped back up to two and a half miles in the JLT Melling Chase, and it worked a treat as he really toughed it out to beat a back-to-form Min by a neck with Ryanair winner Balko Des Flos well beaten off in fourth.

He’d have to put up a serious effort in this weekend’s Ladbrokes Trophy for Nicholls to start considering the King George, but that’s not beyond the realms of possibility after his pleasing comeback run in the Charlie Hall, when Bryony Frost performed miracles to keep the partnership intact early on.

Black Corton is 33/1 at the time of writing but the uncertainty over his participation is just about enough to put me off a speculative each-way bet, with ready preference for the classy Politologue to put his blistering speed and accurate jumping to maximum effect.

Posted at 1130GMT on 27/11/18.