A thrilling finish to the 2025 renewal of Kempton Park’s Ladbrokes King George VI Chase saw The Jukebox Man come out on top for owner Harry Redknapp, trainer Ben Pauling and jockey Ben Jones.

Starting at 7/1 The Jukebox Man, a seven-year-old son of Ask, was prominent throughout in the three-mile contest. Taking over the lead from Il Est Francais approaching three out, he was narrowly headed approaching the last by 2024 winner Banbridge but rallied gamely to score by the minimum distance of a nose with Gaelic Warrior another nose back in third. This was a second Grade 1 win at Kempton for The Jukebox Man following his success a year ago in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase.

The spectacular finish was played out in front of a bumper crowd of 17,195 – up from 13,863 in 2024.

Redknapp, the former Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United manager who tasted FA Cup success in 2008 with ‘Pompey’, said: “It is a dream to have a horse that good. Just to run was a great thing for me as I was so proud of having a runner here, but to have the winner is special.

“What a race he has run. He has jumped unbelievable. I thought he was beat when they came to him and suddenly I thought he will finish fourth, but he has come again. The guts the horse has shown is just amazing. Ben Pauling, Ben Jones and Ollie Wardle, who rides him out everyday, have been incredible. I’m so lucky. It is so special. Everyone was jumping on me at the end and I thought I don’t know if I have won. What a race and what a finish and what courage he showed.

“What a ride from Ben Jones. He never missed a beat the whole way around. He jumped from fence to fence. Ben Pauling said ‘Harry, I’ve got him in such great form, and he has come on a bundle from the Haydock Park run’. Ben had him spot on.

“It is right up there with my best achievements. Football is my life, so when you are winning the FA Cup final for the fans is an incredible feeling when you are at a football club. We had a lot of support here today and I love the racing and I love the game and people in it so to have a winner on the big stage is fantastic.

“Ben trained Shakem Up’arry to win at the Cheltenham Festival which was a dream and then to come here today is great so I’ve been quite lucky with Ben. He has done amazingly well for me. We’ve not had a bad horse, touchwood.

“Today we have gone into the Champions League. We got in the Premier League, which was fantastic, but today we went in the Champions League.

“We were taking on the Real Madrids and the Barcelonas. He proved he can compete with them, and win against them, which was an amazing feeling.”

Ben Pauling, the successful trainer, said: “It is great for the yard. This is a dream. It means everything. We are always trying to elevate ourselves to the next level and that is life. You can always spend more time trying to be something more than you are, but when you have got good horses, you want them to perform on the big days. I was absolutely delighted it was a proper ding-dong of a race. You want to win the good ones, and everyone was there and it just means a lot.

“Harry has been an exceptional owner for me, and we have had an enormous amount of luck. I’ve always had a huge faith in this horse, and so has Harry as well. This is the best we have achieved to date. We have won Cheltenham Festival races and Grade Ones, but this is good.

“I watched the Kauto Star and I thought you are not coming from too far back so I said to Ben don’t hate me, but I want you to be as brave as you can be. Ben got the perfect slot as he jumped from fence to fence. The only one he got in tight to was the last, but that was just the way it was. To get back up again was just quite incredible as no one was stopping. It is very exciting for the future.

“I think you would be daft not to go to the Gold Cup now if he comes out of it well and what a race that will be as well. People crib him for jumping left, but when he goes right-handed he is as straight as a die. He is just a bit of a character with a big engine and big heart.

“I think it will take a few days to sink in especially after the hangover. These are the days we want to be part of. It is our first proper runner in one of these elite chases so to compete would have been great, but to win it is even better.

“From Haydock Park to here he has just been foot perfect and if I can do the same again between now and Cheltenham, and he won’t be seen again until then, it will then be quite exciting. What a very special day.

“It really is the moment where you score the winning goal with a minute to go. That was as tight as it gets. I had no idea if we won. The cameras thought we won, but I didn’t want to believe it until I heard it.

“If that race doesn’t bring people into the sport then they will never join as that was good.”

Winning jockey Ben Jones said: “I thought I had won by a head and didn’t have anything to worry about but they were a lot closer to me than I thought!

“Full credit to Ben, Harry Redknapp and Ollie (Wardle, work rider). He’s always had the right engine and we just gave him some time and let him fill out. I’m still not 100 per cent sure we have got to the bottom of him.

“It was brilliant and I’m delighted for everyone at home.

“Ben was adamant to get a good start. He did that, and is such a professional.”

Proud of runner-up

Joseph O’Brien, trainer of 2014 winner and today’s runner-up Banbridge (16/1), said: “It was a fantastic run and I’m very proud of the horse. It is obviously frustrating to get nabbed, but he has turned up and run his race. I’m delighted for Ronnie (Bartlett,) and his family, and for Ben and Harry with the winner.

“Everything happened perfectly for us. He jumped great and travelled great. He got a great jump at the last and was just beaten in a head bob.

“This was an obvious target for him and today was the day we were building towards and I’m very happy with how he turned up and Sean (Bowen) gave him a great ride.

“I don’t think we will work back from a Gold Cup. I will talk to Ronnie and see. We gave that a crack last season. Aintree and Kempton Park are tracks he has been good at in the past so it might make more sense to go back there (Aintree).”

Trainer Willie Mullins, who saddled the third Gaelic Warrior (9/4 joint-favourite), said: “I think he ran his race today. If the winning post was fifty yards down, I think he would have been in front. It was just the bob of heads. We are happy and we will live to fight another day. It was a great race, and it does throw him into the Gold Cup mix now.”