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He’s already some horse, but if Nicholls sorts out his jumping then god help every top grade chaser in training.
To hit fences the way he did (or land plum on top of one and come out on all fours) and be travelling again within a couple of strides is incredible, and when you have a turn of foot like that…..it’s game over.
Roll on good ground so we can see what this horse can really do.
Comment was very tongue in cheek LGR. :biggrin:
IMO – If he smacks one like that at Cheltenham he could well be down – apart from that he is a shoe in.
As I suspected beforehand, Monet’s was brutally exposed at that level. And as I also suspected, Kauto made mistakes that he wouldn’t get away with at Cheltenham.<br>At this point, KS is a lay for the Gold Cup. But he was entitled to win this, and did so in very good fashion.
No way I’d lay him. If he was to have a race inbetween – I would consider laying him. I can only see him going off shorter than 6-4 on the day now.
You’d be a very brave man to lay a horse who appears at the minute to be at least half a stone ahead of his nearest rivals.
Another top drawer performance today and he looks to be a horse we’ll be writing about in ten years saying how priviliged we were to see him.
Very much a "as you were" performance although we might all be a bit guilty of expecting to be gobsmacked every time he runs.
Didnt Ruby say woud be better going left handed?
He’s only half a stone ahead of ’em while he’s on his feet ;)<br>Admitted, if he stands up he’s a fair 6/4 shot.
This horse has an engine to die for. I backed Racing Demon, a small bet out of interest really but found myself desperately wanting Kauto Star to win. Racing needs a horse like him. Didn’t jump great but Kempton is a sharp, quick track I think he’ll jump better at Cheltenham where as Nicholls said they can just drop him in and take their time with him a bit more. If he doesn’t hit the wall up the hill and he gets there in good shape he’s as near a cast iron certainty as there is surely?
I hope he does get round, but I make it odds-on that mistakes will cost him the race.<br>Just trying to be objective.
they can just drop him in and take their time with him a bit more.
Regardless of where they put him in the Gold Cup you cannot "take your time". Granted the likelihood of better ground he will probably be going that one stride faster again in the Gold Cup.
I am a big fan of the horse, but today (for me) he was some way below his previous efforts. Today Walsh asked him plenty from the turn in, where as in his last few races he was beating horses by miles on the bit. Coupled with that Exotic Dancer has only won a couple of (high class) handicaps and he himself absolutely rooted the second last fence.
On soft ground I think Kauto Star can get away with these mistakes, indeed he is probably near on impossible to beat. But on faster ground, in much bigger field at Cheltenham he wont be able to make those mistakes and get away with him.
I’ve taken the horse on in every race this year (bar its reappearance). Racing Demon was going a little better than Kauto Star down the back straight but I never truly beleived RD could beat KS. As people have said only the fences can beat KS in the Gold Cup as the trip doesn’t look like it will pose a problem.
As for the rest Exotic Dancer ran its best race yet for me and probably is better over 2f less so I won’t be opposing it lightly next time. I backed Racing Demon e/w today and while it never looked like being out of the top 3 I was a little disappointed it was left behind so easily. It seemed to jump its fences well today but the trip and course orientation concern me about the Cheltenham Gold cup for it. I didn’t see where the others finished:biggrin: . However I don’t believe that was Monets Garden’s true running – it didn’t seem to hold a position but I certainly think it is capable of better.
Perhaps the paucity of top class opponents makes KS seem a better horse than he really is. It seems wrong to knock a horse that has won convincingly but to me he has yet to show that indefinable something, call it "class" if you want.<br>Kicking King imo oozed class when winning this race a couple of seasons back; Kauto Star didn’t.
I wonder will KS supporters finally admit that he actually has jumping flaws. Don’t think todays performance was as visually impressive as previous displays.
JohnJ
Quote: from johnjdonoghue on 8:02 pm on Dec. 26, 2006[br]I wonder will KS supporters finally admit that he actually has jumping flaws. Don’t think todays performance was as visually impressive as previous displays.
JohnJ
<br>His jumping isn’t perfect but even Arkle and Desert Orchid made errors. Run in enough races at the top level and any horse will make the odd errors. One of the best jumpers I have ever seen at a fence was Remittance Man, even he fell at Cheltenham.
If Kauto Star bangs fences at Cheltenham like he did at Kempton today he probably won’t get away with it but the Gold Cup is a completely different test it’s far more of a staying contest and Kauto Star won’t have to be so handy or be going quite as quickly so soon at Cheltenham. He’s a powerful horse and I’m not really certain Kempton would be his ideal track in any case.
GH,
I will admit he is very promising. However, he is way too chancey over some of his fences, I don’t accept he slipped over the last fence, he took off way too early, hence the mistake. He will not get away with on good ground at cheltenham, which is what I have been banging on about for the last few months. As for the form book, he has not met any of the first three home from last seasons gold cup.
JohnJ
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