Redknapp revels in 'amazing feeling' after The Jukebox Man lands vintage King George 

LOCKED IN BATTLE: The Jukebox Man and Ben Jones, centre, en route to winning the King George. Picture: Healy Racing

Harry Redknapp knows all about sporting thrills and spills on St Stephen's Day, but nothing could have prepared him for the drama of Kempton Park, where The Jukebox Man stepped into the Champions League and left the former Premier League manager holding the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase trophy aloft.

It was 12 months ago the apple of Redknapp and trainer Ben Pauling's eye announced himself as a top-level performer with victory on this very afternoon, but now was his time to prove he belonged among the elite.

Sent off at 7-1 after returning from injury in style at Haydock last month, Redknapp likened the challenge of taking on the might of Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson in the Christmas showpiece to his days in the dugout taking on some of Europe's best.

Redknapp's star signing was in stellar form, shrugging off his challengers in a performance that was inspired, relentless, and utterly brilliant in equal measure. After an age-long wait for the judge to deliver the verdict by a nose, the former 'King of the Jungle' from ITV's I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! was in no doubt where the moment ranked amongst his many sporting achievements.

He said: "We had got into the Premier League with this horse which was fantastic, but today we went Champions League and we were taking on the top teams, the Real Madrid, the Barcelona and we proved we can compete with them and win, it's an amazing feeling.

"This is right up there with my best sporting achievements. Football has been my life and when you win a cup final for the fans it is an incredible feeling at a football club, but I love racing and I love the game and the people in it — to have a winner like this is just fantastic.

"To have a horse that good is unbelievable. I love the game but to come here on King George day and just run made me so proud — but to have the winner is special.

"I'm so lucky and everyone was jumping on me at the end, but I didn't even know if I had won. Everyone else seemed so confident, but I wasn't sure. It was a dream when they called the winner. I got a big kiss from Sandra at the end as well and she thinks I only have that horse."

It was in 2008 that the-then Portsmouth manager Redknapp hoisted the FA Cup aloft just a short drive around the M25 from Kempton at Wembley.

That Pompey squad perhaps typified the 78-year-old's managerial career, but after The Jukebox Man was made 7-1 by a number of firms for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, the master of the transfer market appears to have worked his magic once again as his £70,000 purchase ignited more Cheltenham Festival dreams.

"What a race he has run and he's jumped unbelievable," said Redknapp. "When they came to him I thought he was beat and would finish fourth, but he's come again and the guts the horse has shown is just amazing.

"Ben has been so bullish about this horse and I'm asking him about the opposition, but he's just telling me he doesn't care and that they all had us to beat. Ben Jones said he wants more cut and more distance, maybe we get that in March?"

He went on: "I've had my best days with Ben. He trained Shakem Up'arry to win for me at the Cheltenham Festival which was a dream and then to come here today. He's been lucky for me and it's amazing really. I don't think we've had a bad horse together."

For his part, Joseph O'Brien understandably had mixed emotions after Banbridge was agonisingly denied in his bid for back-to-back King George wins.

Despite being the defending champion, the nine-year-old was a 16-1 shot for Kempton's festive highlight, putting him fifth of eight in the pre-race betting.

But with a visor applied and champion jockey Sean Bowen on his back for the first time, Banbridge put up a staunch defence of his crown, more than playing his part in a pulsating four-way finish before ultimately being beaten a nose into second place by Ben Pauling's The Jukebox Man.

"It was a fantastic run and I'm very proud of the horse. It's obviously frustrating to get nabbed, but he turned up and ran his race," said O'Brien.

A decade on from seeing Vautour beaten a head by Cue Card, Willie Mullins and owner Rich Ricci teamed up with 9-4 joint-favourite Gaelic Warrior, who was just another nose behind Banbridge in third.

Mullins was not making any excuses for his charge, saying: "I think he ran his race today. If the winning post was 50 yards down I think he was in front and it was just a bob of heads, so we're happy and we live to fight another day.

"It's too early for making plans, today was the plan and it didn't work out by not that much.

"It was a great race for Kempton and hopefully it won't be the last King George we see here."

A close-up fourth was the other 9-4 joint-favourite Jango Baie, whose trainer Nicky Henderson believes his charge is now in need of an even sterner test of stamina, bringing the Gold Cup very much into view.

"It just looked as if it was a tad quick for him even round there, but he's run a great race," said the Seven Barrows handler.

"He'll stay all right, hopefully he will stay further."

On a Gold Cup tilt, he added: "I would have thought so, why not?"