Saturday’s Boxing Day card at Kempton is traditionally the time for connections to take stock of where their charges stand at the midpoint of the season and the entries for the big Grade One races don’t disappoint.

Paul Nicholls has a stranglehold on the King George with Clan Des Obeaux looking to win the race for the third consecutive year and Cyrname, the horse who put up the most visually stunning performance of the season so far at Wetherby in the Charlie Hall, his biggest threat.

I really don’t have a strong enough opinion to justify tipping horses at under 2/1 here and some races are good enough to watch without having a bet. This is one such race, with nothing appearing to warrant an each-way play given the doubts over the participation of the Irish horses due to potential travel issues.

The Christmas Hurdle has had more of an impact on the Champion Hurdle in recent seasons than was previously the case and Epatante is clear the one to beat here in receipt of the mares’ allowance, although I do hope Silver Streak will get reward for his consistency in a big race after another brave display in Cheltenham’s International Hurdle behind Song For Someone.

However, there are only seven runners entered so the temptation to back him each-way is somewhat reduced and after her visually impressive return in the Fighting Fifth, Epatante will take some stopping.

The Grade One on the card which does interest me from a punting perspective is the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase over three miles, in which Dan Skelton’s unbeaten Shan Blue bids to win his first race at the top level.

There’s no arguing with his form with the runner-up, who he thrashed 16 lengths at Wetherby, going on to win a very competitive Haydock handicap next time. The question is whether he’s as good right-handed and we don't yet know the answer, which makes me think he’s worth opposing at 2/1.

Second favourite is Colin Tizzard’s great looking beast, The Big Breakaway, who was turned over at short odds at Exeter last time after an exemplary debut at Cheltenham in November. The stable had a good winner at Ascot last weekend but for all he looks like he should make a top-class staying chaser in time, he too looks short enough at 5/2 here.

If The Cap Fits is a Grade One winning hurdler having won the Aintree Hurdle from Roksana and Apple’s Jade in 2019, but hasn’t really convinced with his jumping in a couple of starts this Autumn and it’s rare for horses to be top-class at hurdles and fences so he's another who is easy to overlook at this stage.

The one who I think offers some value at current prices is ENRILO, who was significantly lower-rated than a couple of these over hurdles but has always been considered a top-class prospect by the Nicholls stable.

He may have needed the run when just caught on the run in at Chepstow first time out but made amends with the minimum of fuss next time at Exeter in a Class 2 race and the horse he beat, Darlac, has come out and franked the form since.