Kauto Star
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- Start date
Sheikh
At the Start
I agree, but I would argue that there where signs that he was fed up with it earlier than those defeats.In my opinion his whole demeanour ( I think a horse can have a demeanour ) last year was different to before.
Sheikh
At the Start
I felt he was being sloppy, not the thing he does flicking the top with his fore legs. He was being careless and trailing his hind legs low. Like I said, also his demeanour.I'm afraid I can't explain that one.
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
He was in great form at Ascot and Kempton. I don`t think he likes Cheltenham at all and only got away with the Gold Cup in `07 because they went a crawl. The only thing wrong at Aintree were the tactics, he`s a hold up animal. Pretty much a cert for the KG imo. Won`t win the Gold Cup again.
Grasshopper
Senior Jockey
- Joined
- Nov 14, 2006
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If Kauto Star was out of sorts at Cheltenham and Aintree, he has done pretty well to finish 7L second to the best Gold Cup winner of the last umpteen years, and get nailed on the line by a horse who won the RyanAir Chase in his previous outing.
He is a country mile ahead of anything else that runs in the Nicholson, and will hack-up.
He is a country mile ahead of anything else that runs in the Nicholson, and will hack-up.
Granted the Gold Cup was not the sort of test that would allow a class horse to show his flare, but even still KS was as flat as a pancake through out the race and did remarkably well to get so close....but we have been over that already!!!
I think he will piss in on Saturday...vibes are very positive.
Sheikh
At the Start
I don't think anyone is saying he was out of sorts. Hopefully he will show his old enthusiasm on Saturday.... and if he does, yes he will hack -up.
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
In what way? If he jumped as well at Cheltenham as he does at Kempton he`d have still been on the bridle entering the straight.
The Gold Cup was a slog in soft/tacky ground. Granted his jumping was poor and that probably effected how he travelled....but maybe Sheikh's "demeanour" description has some merit in it.
Shadow Leader
At the Start
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2003
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- 9,884
It was made a slog by the relentless gallop set by Denman that the rest of the field struggled to lay up with.
granger
Senior Jockey
Seconded
rorydelargy
At the Start
Seconded
He was suffering an injury still, and as a result didn't want to race.
Was stiff on arrival at Cheltenham, was restless and and didn't eat up in his box.
My info is that it was hushed up, as connections had had a hard call to make given all the hype over the Gold Cup clash - and didn't want to 'spoil the party' so to speak ... and therefore ran him, but also didn't want the subsequent flak for having done so. Who could blame them? - he might have been OK, it was a marginal thing if 'wish' took precedence over observation... Being sporting they took the chance and it didn't pay off.
In retrospect I bet they wish they hadn't run him no matter what the flak. I hope we see a different horse this year, one back to his best. No guarantee of course
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
I`m not buying any of that, if it was true he wouldn`t have finished second. It`s the sort of things stable monkey`s leak when a horse doesn`t run well. He doesn`t like going a decent pace at Cheltenham - that`s all there is to it. He fell in the QM in `06.
Euronymous
Senior Jockey
In what way are they facts? If they were he would not have finished second putting in a near 170 performance. That is a fact.
rorydelargy
At the Start
Yes, but what are the facts? If he only ran at Cheltenham due to the sporting nature of his owner and he wasn't right, then why did they decide to run at Aintree when he ran a worse race?
rorydelargy
At the Start
The reference was to the injection of pace provided by Denman when he went on passing the stands; Kauto Star wasn't struggling to keep up on the first circuit, by any means.
Like Azertyuiop in Moscow's second QM, Kauto Star was never going to win, not even on the first circuit. Never travelling or jumping. I think he is an amazingly gutsy horse to get so close in the end. (as was Azertyuiop in fact) And if you do watch the race impartially, you will see Ruby kidding along Kauto Star from as early as the third or fourth fence.
I dont deny Denman's great win, (I certainly dont favour one horse over the other) but pointing out that those who think it was a defeat of KS at the height of his powers are deluding themselves.
I dont deny Denman's great win, (I certainly dont favour one horse over the other) but pointing out that those who think it was a defeat of KS at the height of his powers are deluding themselves.
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rorydelargy
At the Start
You know Kauto Star is the horse with the big white face, don't you?
While I admit that Kauto Star didn't jump as well as he could, he absolutely tanked along for over a circuit; it's only when Denman pressed on that he made his first mistake and Ruby didn't move a muscle at any point until jumping the open ditch directly opposite the stands on that final circuit. I've watched the race forty or fifty times as I still can't believe how Denman destroyed the field with that display of perfect jumping and strong galloping for that middle third of the race. Incidentally, Kauto Star did not drift to odds against in the in running market until mid way down the far side.
Bringing this back to the notion that the Nicholls camp knew Kauto Star wasn't right but ran him to be sporting, I would point to the market moves on the day. Denman had looked likely to challenge for favouritism in the morning of the race and one firm made them joint jollies, but the SP's (on one of the strongest possible racing markets) were 10/11 Kauto Star and 9/4 Denman. There is no way that Kauto Star's price would have hardened on the back of negative vibes, especially as such an influential punter as Harry Findlay would have been aware.
I can only imagine that this story has been misunderstood and is actually about the Nicholls duo who ran in the Champion Chase. In that instance, PN said it was impossible to split Twist Magic and Master Minded at home but rumours abounded that Twist Magic wasn't right and he ran a stinker after drifting significantly.
Isinglass
At the Start
I agree about the 'demeanor' comment. When he is at his best he is bolshy looking, head right up in parade ring, ears pricked, daring anything to look at him or get in his way. He is known to bite at home, just very playful. And altho he makes some howlers he throws himself at his fences with joy, and confidence. For some of last season (or maybe even all of) he never looked confident and his body language was lack lustre. I've no idea if he was injured, have never heard this, but he had far less sparkle than the horse who won the Tingle Creek as a 5 year old. He also seemed to get thinner and thinner as the season wore on and his coat did not look that great either.
He did have a long and hard season the year before, he did so much, and as Paul has said in his column, Denman is much more lightly raced than Kauto, so who knows, perhaps he was just in need of a rest.
When he was last paraded he looked back to himself, was messing about, pawing the ground, pulling his lassses arms out and looked lean and mean. Fingers crossed that he is well now and has regained his lust for life!
Personally I also do not think Cheltenham suits him, or at least not the Gold Cup. King George is much more his thing.
He did have a long and hard season the year before, he did so much, and as Paul has said in his column, Denman is much more lightly raced than Kauto, so who knows, perhaps he was just in need of a rest.
When he was last paraded he looked back to himself, was messing about, pawing the ground, pulling his lassses arms out and looked lean and mean. Fingers crossed that he is well now and has regained his lust for life!
Personally I also do not think Cheltenham suits him, or at least not the Gold Cup. King George is much more his thing.