Sam Waley-Cohen will ride Long Run in the William Hill King George VI Chase – despite being hit with a 12-day riding suspension at Fakenham yesterday.

He was in a clear lead on Otage De Brion in the handicap chase over two miles and five furlongs when he bypassed the fence in front of the stand with a circuit to run, seemingly taking the wrong course.

The stewards gave him a 12-day ban, but it will not begin until January 1 and only applies to days when there are races for amateurs.

So, he will maintain his alliance at Kempton on Boxing Day with the Nicky Henderson-trained Long Run, who is owned by his father Robert Waley-Cohen, from Edgehill, near Banbury.

“To be honest, what actually happened is I thought he’d swallowed his tongue,” he said.

“He landed and just made a hell of a noise. He’s had an operation before and we normally have a tongue-tie on him, but didn’t today.

“I knew where I was going. He’s one of those horses who’s very in and out and one of the problems we’ve had is his breathing.”

Paul Nicholls, meanwhile, confirmed Kauto Star will bid for a fifth King George victory, with Ruby Walsh aboard, while Daryl Jacob will ride Master Minded.