- This topic has 131 replies, 60 voices, and was last updated 14 years, 2 months ago by
.
- Posts
I went to the races for the first time in almost 20 years today and what a day it was! Bachelors Hall has summed it up perfectly. The atmosphere was electric and the reception in the winners enclosure was unbelievable. I’ve never seen a winner do a lap of honour round the parade ring before but if ever a horse deserved one, it was Kauto. Fabulous, fabulous day
Was great today – magnificent animal – hope they skip the kg and go straight to the gold cup – never thought i would say that
Like a few I doubted him earlier in his career – however as long as it doesnt come up soft kautos jumping seems to have got better with age. Long Run wasnt far away but he will never have the engine kauto has – possibly flattered by where he finished in last years gold cup. Sam is an amateur – it showed today – Whilst Ruby just sat and let Kauto jump and travel like no other horse can do.
People seem to assume 11-12 year olds cant win anything – i seem to think Royal Athlete might have something to say about that.
Best horse since Desert Orchid – hope they dont try and go for the kg and gold cup – hes much better fresh at this age
What a race kauto star jumped like a stag travelled like a dream, the best performance I ve ever had the fortune to watch. Horse of a life time. Well done to all connected KING KAUTO
Yes, but did anyone watch the 3.10 seller at Lingfield?
Seriously, it was a phenomenal performance.
It’s great that there is so much admiration on here for the animal.
What is so meaningful about that victory is that it elevates him nearer and nearer to the status of "Best chaser in History."
I don’t want to bring back the Arkle debate, and I know everything is temporal, esp with horse racing….but if he were to win another King George or Gold Cup he would SURELY be the best ever!
Realistically, I’d have to back Long Run in the KG and Gold Cup over Kauto as there is no doubt whatsoever you will see a lot tighter animal on those occasions, but KS did beat him by a fair few lengths today.
Will Kauto try and make all in those two races? I’d struggle to see him holding on in the GC, but King George….I’d still have to go with Long Run as he brushed KS aside easily last year.
Still, makes for an fascinating jumps season.
The only thing Kauto could do after those two races would be to come back for the 2012 or 2013 Grand National and win!!!!!
That would enshrine him as the greatest.
Lastly, watching the Betfair emphasised in my mind, that the performance of Denman when he beat Kauto in the Gold Cup was the best performance I have ever seen from a chaser. You can argue all day long about how good Kauto was on that day, but I have not seen another horse that could have done that to Kauto in his pomp in that manner. Denman was never the same after that, though he gave some respectable runs.
Zip
The name of the game is jumping, and that’s what The Star did today, superbly. Well done Kauto.
Great display today, and everyone so happy about it. I just hope they retire him now and not push him too far. He’s nothing to prove now and I’d hate him to have a horrible accident racing.
Some of the hyperbole surrounding Kauto’s win today doesn’t so much bemuse me as amuse me.
Sure it was a very good performance from Kauto Star; especially as many ( including myself ) had written him off beforehand. In fact, in spite of Paul Nicholls telling all and sundry that the horse was well and ready to do himself justice, the Ditcheat’s connections were just as surprised as everyone else by the manner of Kauto’s victory. Where did that effort come from ?
The joyous scenes as he was led back were all for the horse, knowing full well that they can now postpone that early planned retirement and can now aim the great horse at the season’s customary big steeplechase targets.
But let’s get one thing straight: he is not the greatest chaser ever, ok !
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Ruby said when he pulled up in Ireland that he’d never jumped better than he did that day. It’s good that we’ve been given an opportunity today to see what he meant.
I wish Fist was still with us. He told us right from the start how great this horse was [and that Don’t Push It would win the Grand National].
Kauto Star could win ten King Georges and he still wouldn’t eclipse the greatest ( Arkle ) of all, in my eyes. Anyway, we’ve been down that road, ad nauseum.
As for Long Run; I hate labouring the point, but the horse would be even more dominant with a professional jockey aboard – and that is me being as diplomatic as I can be. I honestly believe that if someone like Barry Geraghty had been on board today, Long Run would have pushed Kauto Star very close indeed, and might even have won.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
Up until Kauto’s race, I’d picked a patent bet that consisted of Master Minded, Dynaste and Long Run. And there I was … cheering on Kauto Star instead of Long Run
Brilliant performance from one of racing’s greats and a victory that’s now etched in the mind. It did bring a tear to my eye.
Fantastic Kauto Star!
Just listened to what Ruby said about Kauto’s performance today and he
described it as ‘guts and determination’. It will be equally interesting to see what the plan for him will now be.
true champion was at punchestown on his last run and i have to admit thought it was his last race so when he lined up today was just hoping for a safe round of jumping out of sentiment (yes i know you shouldnt do that) i had a few quid on and mygod what a race you can say long run was not fit but it would have taken a mighty horse to beat him today he had all the swagger of a champ and its fantastic to see racing on the pages of papers for the right reasons the horses wooo hoooooooooo !!!!!
That’s more than a bit unfair S W-C won the King George on him and he gave him a brilliant ride in the Gold Cup.
If he’d have been beaten in a tight finish I would perhaps agree but as I suspected after a lay off he went straight back to his old ways of missing a couple out.
His worse mistake came down the backside when he changed his legs at the last minute after making a slight error at the fence before. That was lack of confidence on Long Run’s past and nothing his jockey did wrong.
He had him in the right place all the way round and managed to get him back on an even keel after the horse’s antics and gave him every chance if he had been good enough.
Wouldn’t have mattered if Arkle’s jockey Pat Taffe had been around to ride him he still wouldn’t have won.
- Total Posts 17716
Just my opinion, but had SWC gone on when he moved up to Kauto entering the 2nd circuit, the result might possibly have been different. As it was, Kauto is a brilliant jumper anyway, and taking him on fence-for-fence did little for the confidence of either horse or jockey.
Not sure any other pilot would have done it differently, but the number of errors the team made, over fences that aren’t much of a jumping test, hardly bodes well for the future, and I wouldn’t be in any queue to take short prices for Long Run’s King George re-appearance, particularly if the maestro runs.I’ve always had the impression Long Run is a bit thick and isn’t the smartest kid on the block, gawd knows if Yogi can’t teach him to get it right who can?
I’m not sure if they are maybe not trying too hard to perfect his jumping at home but his jump at the last was very much exaggerated and looked straight out of the how to over school a horse manual.
His impression of Skippy the Kangaroo was the high spot of his round
I could almost hear him asking "is that what you want me to do" duh!!!
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.