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Cue fireworks
A Racehorses primary aim is to win races and win money for the owner. I know we like to have ethics and everything else but if I was Clive Smith and had a horse that had to win a 5 horse race against horses he’d comprehensively stuffed many times before in order to win £200,000 I would run him. We like to think of them as pets but really they’re not.
When Best Mate was put away all the time people were on here crowing about not running him enough. A jumps horse only has a realistic racing life of around 5-6 years and Kauto will be in that bracket next year.
I’m sorry but I think they should have run him. They just buggered up the execution.
Firstly I think they had every right to run him if he was fit and well. He could go lame next week or out on grass and never run again.
Secondly I think you’re all pocket-talking overstating the importance of the tactics used, which were similar to those employed at Haydock and Kempton where he was committed plenty early enough. If he was in the same form as Ascot or Kempton today he’d have won with me on him- quite clearly his season has caught up with him and I’m hoping you all write him off now (would be a change to hear about something else on here) so he’ll be value in his early starts next year!Couldn’t agree more Aragorn. I was having exactly the same debate with the missus yesterday. If he was mine, I would have run him.
Look at how often Dessie ran – every 5 weeks near enough… I appreciate he was an exceptionally tough beast, but really people want it both ways. They moan about the cotton wool, Best Mate scenario, and then complain when sporting owners run their horses more often.
Horses are there to race, as racing fans we enjoy seeing them race, and we should be pleased that we get to see Kauto 6 times a year rather than 3.
(IMO, of course).
A jumps horse only has a realistic racing life of around 5-6 years
And running a horse too quickly after an especially hard race can shorten that lifespan considerably. Say a horse is used to X number of weeks between its races and is trained to peak in time for a particular race which in the event proves fairly gruelling, more so than it is accustomed to. For it then to have an ‘afterthought’ race thrown at it after a shorter timescale than its usual ‘recovery’ period must have a detrimental effect on its physical (and possibly mental) state.
They aren’t pets but they aren’t machines either.
Having said that, I agree that if KS had jumped the second last he would have won. But still, at what cost? I have no doubt that if he’d won the Gold Cup doing handsprings and sewn up the OoM at Cheltenham, there wouldn’t have been a cat in hell’s chance of him running today. Who had the easier race in the GC? Denman. But he’s already been put away for the season, despite PN’s assertions that if horses are ‘fit and well’ they should be running.
Bit soon to be writing him off IMO, will win at the top level again next season.
We shall see – Azertyuiop never came back after they went cash hunting with him.
HERE HERE and soon forgotten to make way for the next good horse……………
cant dismiss KS that quickly , he was beaten a nose by a horse that has a new lease of life, 3 weeks after chelt. KS will be back winning , if he is turned out and given long holiday.
would also add murphy gave our vic a very intelligent ride, and how that jock stuck to christy beamish, i will never know, must have superglue on his saddle.They’ve had more than their money’s worth out of this KS. He’s burnt out now, but he owes connections nothing, imo.
I didn’t notice the tongue-tie at Cheltenham, but I did today. Does he usually wear one?
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The same story as Cheltenham in my view, the horse didn’t jump anything like as well as he can, and the writing was on the wall with a hesistant jump at the 2nd obstacle into the race. The horses has made plenty of errors in the past, but has never jumped consistently badly as he has in his last 2 races. This is just not the same horse as he was, and to suggest Our Vic has found a stone or more improvement since the King George borders on insanity. Nor does the sugggestion that he was ‘done for pace’ by Denman hold up in the light of today’s poor run, whatever the reason, Kauto Star just isn’t the horse he was.
Ruby was obviously in bits about today’s run, and his rare show of emotion suggests that there was something significantly more than questionable riding instructions behind his tears.
Let’s all hope whatever ails the horse isn’t permanent.kauto reminded me of a heavyweight world champion jumping back into the ring to early after losing his crown and going down to an inferior opponent on points.
my view is he will come back and possibly regain his no1 status next season with a lesser campaign.
just a thought 7/1 may be a massive price come next March due to the fact this horse is pretty sound and all being fair will make the line up.You know i thought the performance was good, hardly a ‘shadow of his former self’. He looked a very tired horse after that last jump, it wasn’t that long ago since the Gold cup. How can you write him off so quickly?! amazing how people love horses and calling them ‘the next arkle’ one minute but then dismissing them after being beat – and may i point out by a nose! Hardly a terrible performance. He’ll be back next year as fit as ever i’m sure.
I think I’d go with "A bit below par" rather than ascribe to the whole shadow theory, but next year will be interesting.
amazing how people love horses and calling them ‘the next arkle’ one minute but then dismissing them after being beat – and may i point out by a nose!
It’s because they love him that people are talking about him being beaten today (not dismissing him): its depressing to see him being beaten by horses that he should be coasting by on the bridle (like he did to Our Vic in The King George). We don’t want to be in a position where he injures himself (after a tired fall) and we’re forced to dismiss him!
Luckily he’s not running again this season (according to Nicholls).
reet hard – could you (or anyone else) expand on Ruby Walsh’s interview? I missed it; was he really in tears?
What a class racehorse, hope he gets a good rest. He’s in good hands and the correct decisions regarding his future will be made by those in the know. I think FOF has summed up the Kauto / Aintree story very well in his posts.
Firstly I think they had every right to run him if he was fit and well. He could go lame next week or out on grass and never run again.
Secondly I think you’re all pocket-talking overstating the importance of the tactics used, which were similar to those employed at Haydock and Kempton where he was committed plenty early enough. If he was in the same form as Ascot or Kempton today he’d have won with me on him- quite clearly his season has caught up with him and I’m hoping you all write him off now (would be a change to hear about something else on here) so he’ll be value in his early starts next year!I assure you Carv I am not pocket talking and have no need to.
I stressed the very point that he should not run here and I stick by it.
However we are in agreement and I wish some others had your insight into the game.
One little thing where we differ is on Ascot.
The day of the race I couldn’t watch it live but did watch a recording about an hour later.
I felt really down after Ascot and wasn’t impressed by Kauto anywhere near as much as I was at Kempton.
I was mazed when I came on here and read posts saying he had won the race in brilliant fashion.
Admitedly I convinced myself it was this or that or whatever but it still stuck in my mind all wasn’t as it should be.
Within 3 fences into the Gold Cup I turned to my bookie/mate and said he’s beat.
When I stayed in the UK i was around horses half my life and in the company of a very good young trainer/jockey who was without one of the best judges I have ever known. You simply don’t spend that amount of time and keep that sort of company without getting a feeling for things.
All my gut instincts told me I was wrong to bet the horse today and told me he shouldn’t be running.
I swear if he was mines he would have been put away right after the Gold Cup without hesitation. There comes a time in every season when enough is enough.
It’s more than the fact Kauto has been beaten. PN must have seen the Gold Cup he must have seen the way the horse was near collapse after the last. Yet for some reason better known to him and Clive Smith he ignores all the rules and just because Kauto eats his breakfast he sticks him back on the racecourse.
Beats the hell out of me what on earth they were thinking.
reet hard – could you (or anyone else) expand on Ruby Walsh’s interview? I missed it; was he really in tears?
I didn’t see him interviewed, but when they announced the result of the photograph he lowered his head and clearly wiped his eyes. He’d already taken his goggles down several minutes earlier, so it did seem as though he was momentarily in tears rather than just wiping away sweat or whatever.
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NWRA
As far as I’m aware, he wasn’t interviewed after the race, but watching the race on BBC, Ruby was clearly distressed immediately after passing the post and the whole time the horse was pulling up.
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