Monalee set for his first crack at King George Monalee remains on track for the King George at Kempton next month after finishing third on seasonal debut at Thurles on Thursday. The nine-year-old gelding led from flagfall but gave best in third after the penultimate fence as Presenting Percy took the honours from Kemboy. “Monalee has come out of the race at Thurles well. His first runs back are sometimes disappointing but hopefully he’ll step up from it which we think he will," Henry de Bromhead said. “We are still looking at running him in the King George.” The nine-year-old gelding signed off for the last campaign with a highly creditable fourth in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham, beaten less than two lengths. A similar campaign is planned, however, this will be his first crack at the Grade One King George VI Chase on St Stephen's Day. Additional reporting by Alan Magee
