Former football manager Harry Redknapp achieved one of the greatest triumphs of his racing life on Friday, as his horse The Jukebox Man fought back to win a breathtaking photo-finish in the prestigious King George VI Chase at Kempton Park.
In an extraordinary climax to the Grade One steeplechase, the seven-year-old chaser squeezed between rivals to win by a nose in a three-way battle royale, sending a sell-out crowd of 17,000 into raptures.
A Champions League Performance on the Track
An elated Redknapp immediately drew parallels with his football career. "Today, we've gone into the Champions League," he declared. "We were taking on the Real Madrids and Barcelonas and he proved he can compete with them and win."
The race lived up to its blockbuster billing, with all eight runners still in contention turning for home. The drama intensified over the final three fences, with The Jukebox Man, Gaelic Warrior, Banbridge, and Jango Baie locked in combat.
Jockey Ben Jones, riding The Jukebox Man, had to show immense skill and patience. After meeting the final fence slightly wrong and conceding ground, his mount found a phenomenal second wind, diving between Gaelic Warrior and the defending champion Banbridge to snatch victory on the line.
Dream Realised for 'Unlucky' Owner Redknapp
The winning margin was the narrowest possible – a nose – with just a half-length back to the fourth horse. Redknapp admitted he thought his chance had gone. "I thought he was beat... I thought he will finish fourth, but he has come again. The guts the horse has shown is just amazing," he said.
Despite a long involvement in ownership since the 1980s, Redknapp had warned trainer Ben Pauling he was an "unlucky owner" when they first teamed up. That partnership has since flourished, yielding a Cheltenham Festival winner in March 2024 and now this career-defining success at Kempton.
"It is right up there with my best achievements," Redknapp reflected, comparing the feeling to winning the FA Cup with Portsmouth in 2008.
Road to the Gold Cup
The victory, achieved in only the horse's fourth start over fences, immediately sets up a tantalising new target. Trainer Ben Pauling confirmed that The Jukebox Man will be aimed at the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March 2024, the sport's ultimate championship race.
"I think you would be daft not to go to the Gold Cup now," Pauling stated, adding that the chaser would not run again before the Festival. He described the King George win as the moment "you score the winning goal with a minute to go."
The race also served as a magnificent advertisement for Kempton Park itself. The Jockey Club-owned track, which faces an uncertain future due to redevelopment plans, demonstrated its unique capacity to produce heart-stopping drama on its speed-favouring circuit.
For Harry Redknapp, Ben Jones, and the team at Ben Pauling's yard, the dream of competing with racing's elite has been realised in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. All attention now turns to the ultimate test at Cheltenham.
