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Whilst Best Mate and Denman were / are two very special horses, Desert Orchid and Kauto are on an entirely different level.
I agree with this entirely.
Whilst Best Mate and Denman were / are two very special horses, Desert Orchid and Kauto are on an entirely different level.
Their versatility, consistency and longevity make them arguably the most talented performers to ever grace the National scene, but Kauto just shades it, in my opinion.
Both could compete at the highest level over a range of distances and that is what seperates them from the rest.
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Kauto Star was competing in his thirty-seventh race on Friday. That’s fourteen more than Denman, who has, despite being six years the senior of Long Run, raced only five times more.
Quite interesting, I think.
At what level would Denman be operating at if he went into Friday’s race with fourteen more races behind him?
Do you think Long Run will be competing with such distiction in a Cheltenham Gold Cup another nineteen races and five years down the line?
At the same stage of his career as Denman (twenty third start), Kauto was beating Exotic Dancer to win his second Betfair Chase. This was at the same time Denman was making his debut against senior horses when landing his first Hennessy. This was before Kauto would win three more King Georges and another Gold Cup
Kauto made his debut against senior rivals when runner-up in the Haldon Gold Cup, Novemeber 2005. Denman made his senior debut in December 2007. Should Kauto return next season, he will have been competing at the highest senior level for six years. His record in the King George and Gold Cup reads:
1112111F33 – in completed starts, he has never been out of the first three and broken three records in the process:
*first / only horse to regain the Gold Cup
*first / only horse to win four consecutive King Georges
*first / only horse to complete the King George / Gold Cup double on more than one occasion.In my opinion, that is an incredible display of consistency and longevity. He won his first Grade One in Decemeber 2005 over two miles, winning the Tingle Creek, and his latest in November 2010 over three miles, in the Down Royal Champion Chase.
Long Run was competing in his eighteenth race on Friday. At the same stage of his career, Kauto was winning his second Tingle Creek over two miles, beating future Champion Chaser, Voy Por Ustedes. He had won his second Grade One on his previous visit to the racecourse, with victory in the Betfair Chase over three miles.
He would remain unbeaten that season – crowned Champion two miler and three miler.
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It’s impossible for the aforementioned trio to even come close to this. Best Mate and Denman could never beat the best over two miles and, from what we’ve seen this far, neither could Long Run – it took him the best part of an extended three miles-two to get the better of two eleven year olds! Or as Alistair Down put it – two irresponsible old men!
Kauto Star is the most talented performer I’ve ever seen and his record is testament to this.
Blimey, where do I start with this post’s brilliance? It’s summed up why Kauto is The King (and no matter how good Long Run is, he’ll never claim the throne – after all, just because Elvis has been dead more than 33 years, doesn’t mean there’ll ever be another King of Rock’n’Roll) far better than I ever could.
More than that, it’s also told me stuff I never knew and, what’s better, it’s invited me to try and find out more. For instance, I never knew that Imperial Commander has only raced once more that Long Run – which means, Long Run is the most experienced GC Horse since Kauto (Denman won on his 15th race, IC won on his 16th and, fwiw, War Of Attrition won on his 17th, Kicking King his 19th, Best Mate 13th, 16th and 19th respectively and – remarkably, Looks Like Trouble in just his TENTH race!).
This is stuff which puts a whole new spin on it – maybe Long Run isn’t a precocious talent, perhaps he’s just got his early races in, erm, early, so to speak!
Thanks for this.
FLD
BlueSky @pghenn.bsky.social
So don't run, just like the others always do
At their absolute peak, for me, it would have to be Denman!! The Tank would drive them all into submission!!
I think Best Mate was a brilliant horse, but I don’t think there was the calibre of horses in the few years he was chasing we have now, I think, though, what he did was excellent and will get him a well deserved spot in the games history, he wouldn’t have got past Kauto or Denman on the top of their games.
With regards to Long Run, great finish etc, but I think that had he come against Kauto, Denman or maybe even Exotic Dancer he would struggle to beat them.
I’d say Denman , The Tank (at his peak) would of ground them into submission in my opinion .
However saying that i loved Best Mate and Kauto Star is a true chasing superstar , i just think we’re lucky to have witnessed these horses / champions .
Long Run is just 6 years old and if he keeps fit and well and has no injuries then i think he could well win a second Gold Cup … who knows what the future holds ?I strongly strongly urge everyone to watch the video in the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qk_Vgr8I … ture=feedf
Sent shivers down my spine, how privileged we have been to witness these two legends, not to mention Best Mate and now Long Run.
For me, Kauto at his peak would reign supreme. No horse could have beaten him in the 2009 King George, and his second Gold Cup was breathtaking. Speed, stamina, class, courage, grit, jumping, versatility and longevity: he had it all.
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