Henrietta Knight

[guskennedy]

Now that Paul Nicholls has finally adopted the Henrietta Knight/ Best Mate template for training a horse to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup, can we expect to see irate posters on here deploring the featherbedding of the top horses, complaining vociferously about them being "wrapped in cotton wool" and deprecating the failure to run them in handicap company thereby preventing us establishing "just how good they are"?

Come to think of it, given that he isn’t a slightly eccentric ex-schoolteacher, perhaps we won’t.

[Anonymous]

Kauto Star certainly doesn’t have the same questions to answer as Best Mate with regard to ability, but Paul Nicholls is no more exempt from criticism than anyone else. I maintain that racehorses are for racing and, whilst I can admit that some may derive benefit from not being overworked, I doubt that Kauto couldn’t run one or two times more per season (if the trainers’ championship were still competitive I’m sure we would see him more often, but it’s almost a formality now and so money is not an issue).

[grey dolphin]

At this stage in his career, and having been campaigned adventurously for several seasons, I’ll happily take a bit of Kauto rationing if it prolongs his ability to produce performances of the magnitude of the one we saw on Friday.

[Bosranic]

At this stage in his career, and having been campaigned adventurously for several seasons, I’ll happily take a bit of Kauto rationing if it prolongs his ability to produce performances of the magnitude of the one we saw on Friday.

Couldn’t have said it better myself.

[guskennedy]

I think you’ll find in future that any horse Nicholls perceives to be a "Gold Cup" horse will be given a Best Mate campaign.

It’s not just Nicholls, either. We’ve only seen Binocular three times this season and next season will be no different.

I’ve no problem with it. It just amuses me how little criticism it attracts when the trainers in question are the likes of Nicholls and Henderson. Knight was absolutely vilified on here when Best Mate was in his pomp.

[Author]

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