Jump to content

KAUTO STAR APPRECIATION THREAD

CarltonLeach

By CarltonLeach
in Whatever

 Share

Recommended Posts

CarltonLeach Newbie

CarltonLeach

Posted
Posted

kauto_star_landscape_470x350.jpg

TANK

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_pjpX_gaTQ

Obviously, he should have been retired. Kauto Star, widely written off as a spent force and allowed to start at bigger odds than he had ever been since arriving in Britain seven years ago, produced a sensational front-running performance to win the Betfair Chase here on Saturday, beating Long Run by eight lengths.

Paul Nicholls, the winning trainer, had made it clear the horse would be as fit as he could get him, in the knowledge that a poor run would probably mean an end to his racing career, but a happy outcome was far from certain. Nicholls' final instructions before legging up Ruby Walsh were: "If it's not happening, pull him up." In the pre-parade ring, Clive Smith, Kauto Star's owner, was taking photographs of his horse in case it was his last chance to do so before a big race.

The crowd caught the moment, clapping in support rather than expectation as the 11-year-old entered the paddock and offering sustained applause after Walsh climbed aboard and steered him out on to the track. When the pair returned, unexpectedly triumphant, the winner's enclosure seemed to be exploding with joy.

"That was the best ever," said Nicholls, as animated in victory as if this had been the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Kauto Star has long seemed his personal favourite and the trainer has sometimes appeared personally hurt by expressions of doubt about the horse's ability. "I'll never forget today, ever. It's awesome.

"Deep down, I knew he could go well. He's not got where he is without being fantastic. All those people that thought I should retire him, I hope they just eat their words and apologise."

Privately, Nicholls, Smith and Walsh had decided to ditch their usual tactics and send Kauto Star to the front from the start but his five rivals stayed close around him for the first half of the race. "Long Run was taking me on and they were all on me tail," Walsh said, "and I thought, jeez, we're not going quick enough. I thought I was going a good gallop."

Eventually, that gallop took its toll on Long Run's jumping, sketchy at best for the first four fences on the second circuit. "We stretched all the way down the back," Walsh said, "and I could hear Sam [Waley-Cohen on Long Run] slapping away, turning out of the back."

Both horses were plainly tired up the home straight and, for a brief moment between the final two fences, Walsh feared his mount's stamina was ebbing. "I was thinking, if he trots halfway up the run-in, I'd puke. But he stuck his head down and he kept going."

Nicholls suggested the winner's performances last year may have been affected by a breathing issue, signalled by a noise he made in his home work, and an operation was even considered. "For whatever reason, he hasn't made a noise this year," the trainer added. "He can't talk, so God knows why."

Nicky Henderson had said before the race that he had trained Long Run to be "fit but not Gold Cup-fit" in the knowledge that the biggest races are still to come. "There is no doubt that this run will do him good," he said afterwards. "He made a couple of silly errors. Otherwise he was very good."

Long Run's amateur jockey, Waley-Cohen, was also disposed to be philosophical. "That's racing at the top class," he said. "You're asking horses to perform at the very edge of what they're capable of and sometimes they say, I can't do that for you."

A rematch now seems on the cards for what should be a thrilling King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day with Long Run 13-8 with William Hill and Kauto Star now 4-1 second-favourite. Smith and Nicholls had expected to be represented that day by Master Minded, an impressive winner at Ascot , while plans for Kauto Star had not extended beyond Saturday's race.

Now it seems they will have two contenders for Kempton, where Kauto Star was a distant third last season. "Paul has been a bit hesitant about, if he did run well, whether he should be there," Smith said. "But I said, well, I think he ought to be there. He's got to be running."

  • Upvote 1
  • Downvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
CarltonLeach Newbie

CarltonLeach

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I won nothing, didn't even bet him

KAUTO SHOULD BE ALL OVER THE NEWS FOR HIS ACHIEVEMENTS.

WHAT HE'S DOING/DONE IS UNHEARD OF IN OVER 400 YEARS OF THOROUGHBRED HISTORY

THINK OF ALL THE TIME, WORK, EFFORT, BREEDING IN THOSE YEARS AND NOTHING HAS COME CLOSE TO WHAT KAUTO HAS DONE

WE'RE IN THE MIDSTS OF GREATNESS AND IT WONT LAST

HE'S DEFYING THE ODDS BUT STILL NEVER LETS THE PUBLIC DOWN

HOW LONG CAN HE KEEP DOING THIS!?

11 FARKING YEARS OLD

DAMN

SHIT IS MOTIONAL RIGHT NAH

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...