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Wont be entered for King George. Looks like he’ll only run 3 races. Not a good start to my jumps season. I’m getting a bad feeling about this……:(
<br>Taaffe always said that they would be focussed 100% on regaining the Gold Cup and that they would probably give him one prep run possibly even over 2m in January.
Oh dear… Wonder what the Best Mate knockers will make of that?
Probably nothing….
But even so, surely you would think that he needs a bit more than that?
Quote: from EC on 8:31 pm on Sep. 10, 2006[br]thought he might have called in for a couple of egg and spooners in Ireland for a warm up for the festival.
mind you..if he did that and wasn’t really primed up..and something beat him easily… that horse could get rated as best chaser of the season.
then we could end up in the ridiculous situation where that inferior horse could get rated higher than the GC winner..couldn’t happen surely?
:cheesy: <br>
Thats right EC…all egg and spoon racing in Ireland before we wander over to the mainland to prove ourselves to the real aficionados…our former masters and the well heeled …where the real racing happens.
Still for a poxy little island, I like the fact that that we have egg and spoon races worth 150000 euro. It is of course a pity that we have to run these warm up events in such attrcious conditions but until the Gold cup and King George are moved to about August, it would seem impractical for our "trials" to be run any later.
Of course when that great day happens, we are somewhat worried that we will be competing for the hearts and minds of people like yourself with Bangor-on-Dee who put on a great shindig in mid may. Still, anything for the good of our beloved sport. :)
SHL
Just another example of how Cheltenham is taking over in the minds of many trainers and owners to the detriment of the rest of the jumps season. This horse took his racing well up to now, so for them to say he’ll only have 3 runs means that they think he’s more fragile than before. I’ll be opposing him this season as I think it’s hard for these top athletes to come back to their best after a season off especially without the seasoning of a few races.
It won’t be competing with Bangor On Dee in my heart & mind, cos that’s where I shall be, a wonderful friendly course, much praised by the Irish trainers who bring runners over frequently!<br>I think Kicking King should perhaps have one run in an ‘easy’ race just to show he’s fully recovered, as it doesn’t seem right to throw him in at the deep end in a competitive race, I do hope he has, he’s still young & jumps magnificently<br>Bangor On Dee – THE place to be!!!
3 runs? I think you will find the horse will run over two miles at Christmas, then the Irish Hennessy/or other prep race and then the Cheltenham Gold. After the Gold Cup he will race at Punchestown (as he has done previously) and possibly Aintree. Not a bad campaign for a horse coming back off a long term injury…what exactly was Best Mates excuse?
Quote: from Aidan on 11:01 pm on Sep. 10, 2006[br]3 runs? I think you will find the horse will run over two miles at Christmas, then the Irish Hennessy/or other prep race and then the Cheltenham Gold. After the Gold Cup he will race at Punchestown (as he has done previously) and possibly Aintree. Not a bad campaign for a horse coming back off a long term injury…what exactly was Best Mates excuse?<br>
Soory Aidan – its the trainer who has been reported here. He will have 3 runs incl the Gold Cup. Now if he comes out and shows no ill-effects he may go on to run more – but the initial reaction must be that the horse is not sound.
Kicking King to miss crack at third King George
Published: 08/09/2006 (News) By Neil Morrice<br>KICKING KING, winner of the last two runnings of the Stan James King George VI Chase at Kempton and Sandown, will not be ready in time to bid for a hat-trick when the race returns to its original home on December 26.<br>Tom Taaffe confirmed yesterday that the eight-year-old, who has been nursing a tendon problem sustained when he beat Monkerhostin at Sandown in last year’s renewal, is being aimed at a return to action in a less arduous 2m conditions event at Leopardstown at the same time.<br>Should the 2005 Gold Cup winner come through that satisfactorily, he is likely only to have one further outing before attempting to regain his Gold Cup crown, currently held by War Of Attrition.<br>Taaffe said: "Kicking King won’t even be entered for the King George. It would be expecting far too much for him to reappear in a race as competitive as that following a year off.<br>"To do that I would have needed to get a prep into him and we don’t have the time.<br>"The reality is that we are lucky enough to have won two King Georges and a Gold Cup, but then he got a leg. He strained a tendon in the Sandown King George but, as legs go, it wasn’t that bad and he’s cantering merrily away."<br>Kicking King has not run over 2m since being brought down in a Grade 1 novice chase at the Punchestown Festival in 2004, but Taaffe has never worried about his speed.<br>"It’s not ideal but he has a great turn of foot and hopefully it will blow away the cobwebs," Taaffe added.<br>"Nothing is set in stone, but, please God, I’d hope to run him in a Gold Cup trial at the end of January after Leopardstown and then take him straight to Cheltenham, where all roads will lead."<br>Kicking King survived a terrible mistake at the final fence to beat Kingscliff by two and a half lengths in the 2004 King George before making an amazing recovery from a virus to come back and beat Take The Stand by five lengths in that season’s Gold Cup.<br>Last term he returned to action in a Listed chase at Punchestown, where he was beaten three lengths by War Of Attrition.<br>He did not appear to act on the track when only third of seven to Kingscliff in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase at Haydock, but was near his best when holding the late rally of Monkerhostin by a neck in the King George, rerouted to Sandown during the redevelopment of Kempton.<br>During his career he has struck up a successful partnership with Barry Geraghty, who has ridden him in all but the first two of his 23 career starts.<br>Taaffe had hoped Kicking King would be able to emulate Kempton legends Wayward Lad and Desert Orchid, the most recent triple winners of the King George.
This is the article, the trainer only refers to before Cheltenham….not after it.<br> <br>
Taaffe said: "Kicking King won’t even be entered for the King George. It would be expecting far too much for him to reappear in a race as competitive as that following a year off. <br>"To do that I would have needed to get a prep into him and we don’t have the time.
Heaven forbid that these prep races turn out to be 4 runner 3 mile plods round Leopardstown?
The difference between BOS and many other chasers is of course, that BOS was almost running at Cheltenham as an afterthought. If MH was serious about reversing his laughable form at the track then there would surely have been a couple of course run outs to go some way towards elminating his seeming phobia about the place
BOS was targeted at those Lepoardstwon races (which is fair enough…there can be an obsession about Cheltenham), whereas it is clearly questionable whether WOA was…
Quote: from EC on 10:16 pm on Sep. 10, 2006[br]there is nothing wrong with those races SHL..but as Carvillshill points out..and we are all getting the same idea…horses are being aimed at Cheltenham..a la KK..from a long way off.
these long term plans do mean..that any big guns running in those races are unlikely to be targetted at them..so you will get very good horses running against horses.. just below GC class..that will be only too glad to win those races..after being aimed at them because owners and trainers know they aren’t going to be good enough to win the GC.
So the Irish races are very good prizes..but horses that win them are more than likely going to be aimed specifically at them…not Cheltenham.
<br>
Listen, Im not sharing an opinion here….im sharing a fact with you that was well known to any of us who live and work near the trainer.. WOA was race fit and aimed to win the lexus. At the time, the Gold Cup was something put to the back of there mind since Mouse didnt think he would stay. This of course made perfect common sense since aiming a horse to win a race that he had not so far shown the required ability to win would be considered to be a bit foolish. As for Forget the Past,…..your showing that you dont understand his trainer. Rather like Noel Meade and many other big trainers he doesnt do "aiming purely for cheltenham thing"
If you think that those WOA or Hedgehunter didnt win the lexus because they werent aimed for it, your just talking daft in my opinion.<br>They didnt win because they are much better horses on good ground.
As for Kicking King, I think you have to reaslise some things about him. Firstly he is also much better on good ground. Secondly the type of injury sustained by him and Ive had horses who have suffered the same thing induces real fear to the point of paranoia and thats why they are giving him so much time off.
Perhaps he will be lightly campaigned like Best Mate so as to achive several Gold Cups or perhaps because connections are scared s**t
less of losing a race.For whatever reason I couldnt take horses that run like that to heart. Give me the Moscow Flyer, Azertyoups and Well Chiefs any day.
SHL
Heaven forbid that these prep races turn out to be 4 runner 3 mile plods round Leopardstown?
Did not stop Imperial Call winning a Gold Cup, similar preparations did not stop Kicking King winning a King George/Gold Cup. Brave Inca was plodding around in slowly run hurdle races as preparation for the Champion Hurdle, Newmill for the Queen Mother, Nicanor for the Sun Alliance Hurdle and so on and so on.
<br>I do not buy the idea that last season WOA was solely aimed at the Gold Cup particularly given the doubts about him getting the trip and indeed at the start of the year there was plenty of doubts weither or not he was even a Grade 1 horse!
Sure, but wasnt he originally targeted at the ryanair?
I thought as much as anything else he simply improved nicely throughout the season
Quote: from clivex on 10:07 am on Sep. 11, 20 If MH was serious about reversing his laughable form at the track then there would surely have been a couple of course run outs to go some way towards elminating his seeming phobia about the place
Yes he had laughable form at the time. Was it two runs….fast finishing fourth beaten 3 lengths by Best mate. And if you believe the trianer the virus a year later.
Dont get me started about running a horse with a phobia for a track over the track several times. If its a temperment problem, you would end with nothing.
Anyhow, at the end of the day, BOS was a top 3 mile chaser in Ireland consistently over the past few years ………..nobody is saying he is Arkle. He didnt have enough dimensions to be even thought of in the same way as other truly great horses. But then again, Best Mate wasnt particularly robust either was he??
SHL
It was in fact four gold cups :)
Ok so he had a thing about the track, but then again, given that he only ever ran in the GC at Cheltenham, its perhaps not suprising. Again, why didnt they give him a "confidence booster" there? Even if it hadnt been exactly that, they may have learnt something about why he has been so poor there?
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