Horse racing Rebel's Romance should go well in the King George

A RACING Post survey earlier this year showed punters are twice as likely to bet on jumping than they are on the Flat.

- By JAMES BURN

“It just shows people enjoy following the jumpers and perhaps it’s the longevity of the horses,” 14-time champion jumps trainer Paul Nicholls was quoted in the trade paper.

Now, Nicholls knows a thing or two about longevity in much-loved jumpers given he trained the legendary Kauto Star, who won his first Grade 1the Tingle Creek - for the trainer when he was only five and recorded his last - an incredible fifth King George VI Chase - just six days before he officially turned 12.

As a modern-day chaser, he has no equal, but his stablemate Denman was equally as popular and the same could be said of Sprinter Sacre, while going further back Arkle and Desert Orchid had fan clubs to rival any horse in history.