The Christmas wishes of Terry Casey and Paul Nicholls began to be answered yesterday when Kempton was hit by an unexpected downpour.

Their desire for soft ground to ensure the participation of Rough Quest and See More Business in the Pertemps King George VI Chase was helped by over a quarter of an inch of rain.

The pair, both live each-way prospects for the £100,000 Boxing Day feature, were among the nine final declarations headed by the hat-trick seeking One Man.

Former winner Algan and Go Ballistic were the only withdrawals but, with Senor El Betrutti also an uncertain starter, the chances of further absentees remain.

Weather forecasters had predicted little more than "drizzle" over Christmas to maintain the going at its current good to soft.

But clerk of the course Peter McNeile reported yesterday: "It rained steadily from 5 p.m. until midnight last night and we had seven millimetres, more than was anticipated.

"We've had a heavy shower this afternoon and the more showers we have, inevitably the ground is more likely to become soft.

"The ground is now soft in places but the wind is due to get up tomorrow and I will take another view in the morning.

"As much as I'd like Terry and Paul to run, if they can't run on this then their horses must be real mudlarks. There is a beautiful cut and you would never injure anything.

"There are not many opportunities to run for a £100,000 prize and it would be nice if they all run to keep up the each-way betting options."

Casey and Rough Quest's owner Andrew Wates agonised over whether to run the horse in last year's event after which the former Grand National winner returned injured.

And Nicholls withdrew See More Business from his St Stephen's Day target at Kempton because he was unhappy with conditions that had been jeopardised by frost.

Both are now likely to delay any final decision until the day of the race when they have examined the state of the course for themselves.

"I'll have to walk it on Christmas morning but take Rough Quest to Kempton and decide then. He's a genuine Gold Cup horse and I'll not risk him on anything less than soft," said Casey.

Nicholls said: "We'll just have to wait and see. If there is no rain See More Business probably won't go.

"I'm desperately keen to run but if he is to race against the type of horse the King George has attracted everything has to be in his favour.

"I'm praying it keeps raining and I will probably have to have a look at the course on the day of the race."

Susan Nock is accepting advice from all quarters on whether to run Senor El Betrutti.

The softer the ground the less chance there is that the Murphys and Tripleprint Gold Cup winner will be among the starters.

But, rather than walk the course, she intends to rely on the regular weather updates from Kempton.

"Peter McNeile reckons the ground is not that much softer than when he last ran at Cheltenham," she said.

"I am desperate to run the horse, he's jumping out of his skin. But Peter McNeile knows what I need to know and I will have to rely on him."

In the big race betting, Hennessy winner Suny Bay was cut from 11 to 4 to 9 to 4 by William Hill who eased One Man out to 11 to 8 from evens.

Suny Bay worked well yesterday morning for trainer Charlie Brooks, some of whose string have been suffering from sore throats, and he was given a clean bill of health after a final check-up yesterday.

"My first runner for a fortnight finished second at Ludlow yesterday which was very encouraging," he said. "Suny Bay worked well this morning and is on course to run."

Djeddah, trained by four time winner Francois Doumen, will be partnered by the trainer's amateur rider son Thierry, his first mount in the race.

Conditional Leighton Aspell will be aboard outsider Yorkshire Gale unless a big name rider becomes available.

Take full advantage of the bookmakers' generosity. Gordon Richards' grey is currently available at 5 to 4 in his quest for a third successive triumph in the race.

Yet he was a 6 to 4 shot at the start of the month - when Simply Dashing and Mr Mulligan were expected to take him on.

And there is a strong expectation that he will continue to be opposed, leading him to drift back out to something like his original odds.

That would be a remarkable price for a horse who justified 8 to 13 favouritism 12 months ago - easily beating Rough Quest and Barton Bank.

One Man should now be at the height of his powers at the age of nine - and his two runs this season suggest that he is.

He was not unduly stretched on his reappearance in the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby, beating Barton Bank by two and a half lengths.

One Man then went to Huntingdon for the Peterborough Chase and turned in a scintillating performance.

Jumping with supreme confidence, he soon had his rivals toiling and although Viking Flagship was able to keep tabs until approaching the last, One Man stormed away to win by nine lengths.

With One Man having failed to show his best form at Cheltenham, his whole season is geared around the Kempton Park feature.

With no reason to expect Barton Bank and Rough Quest to reverse last year's placings, much interest will centre around second favourite Suny Bay.

The Grand National runner-up produced an assertive performance to beat Barton Bank by 13 lengths in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury.

But whether he can beat One Man off level weights over three miles at Kempton is an entirely different matter.

There are each-way possibilities about Murphy's and Tripleprint winner Senor El Betrutti but the fanciest prices about him have been taken.

Lake Kariba should continue his progress over fences in the £10,000-added Network Design International Novice Chase.

Paul Nicholls' six-year-old is beginning to look a bit special and completed a hat-trick at Uttoxeter on Saturday when having little more than a school round to beat Tennessee King by 12 lengths.

He should now be up to this sterner test.

Sparky Gayle can take Wetherby's highlight, the £20,000added Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase.

Colin Parker's seven-year-old was unbeaten over fences last season, his highlight coming when beating Major Bell four lengths in the Cathcart Chase at Cheltenham.

He was over-hyped for his reappearance in the Murphy's Gold Cup but still ran well to finish eight lengths fourth to Senor El Betrutti.

With that form standing up well, Sparky Gayle can regain the winning thread.

Best bet at the supporting meetings is Studio Thirty in the Blandford Betting Novices' Handicap Hurdle at Hereford.

Robin Dickin's five-year-old, a fair performer on the Flat, found himself handicapped on a very handy mark for his jumps reappearance over course and distance last week and duly obliged with a smooth one-and-a-half-length defeat of Lord Nitrogen.