- This topic has 496 replies, 78 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 3 months ago by
.
- Posts
I’m a bit bemused by The Nightingale running. PN wouldn’t run a horse that could scupper Kauto’s chance of the five timer, so, is he there to ensure there’s a good pace to the race, run into a place etc etc..or, could it be that he thinks that Kauto might not be the horse of old? I’m also bemused by the race being on tomorrow; it’s like celebrating Christmas in the middle of summer or something. Much as I’m looking forward to it, it isn’t the same as being excited at the prospect throughout Christmas day.
- Total Posts 17716
I don’t think Kauto will get around and if he does I still think Riverside Theatre will beat him. 2 Mile speed and seems to love Kempton.
Riverside theatre at 16’s each-way is my bet.
I think we could see Kauto run his last race tomorrow guys.
There’s a great video on Youtube of Kauto’s last work. He looks very well!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6H98bE9RQ88
Hoping for some history tomorrow.
That is the video I saw on You Tube. I am confident in Kauto Star. He can do it tomorrow.
I’ve never warmed to Kauto the way I did to Dessie, but he seems like a dear, gentle sort of creature without the aggresion you’d expect from a top athlete. I know I’ve said this before, but he’s at the stage of his career that makes me worry about him. I’ll forgive him for beating Dessie’s record as long as he come back safe and sound. I’d love to know what it’s like to ride other horses and then ride him, just to know how it feels to be riding a horse that is so special…like a Rolls Royce compared to my little Toyota, I expect.
10 lbs? which comic have you been reading?
If this was a handicap in the old days here’s how I would see it:
Kauto Star 12.7lbs
Alberta’s Run 11st4lbs
Paddydeplasterer 10st9lbs
Long Run 10st6lbs
Nacarat 10st5lbsThe rest minimum weight 10st
I was referring to their performances back on Boxing Day 2009. Long Run was carrying 11 stone , 10lb less than Kauto and was 8 seconds slower . 8 seconds = 32 lengths = 32 pounds
roughly so a total of 42 pounds or three stone.Oh sorry Debby, I thought you meant the schooling one. (Yes I’ve been stalking Youtube the last few days looking for videos of Kauto!)
I thougt it was the schooling video, but I was wrong. Sorry about that. This is the schooling video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_pjpX_gaTQI have seen some nice Kauto Star video’s on You Tube, and I am glad I am not the only one who is looking for clips on Kauto there.
Heart, brain & pocket say Kauto
Can’t believe people really think he won’t get round. It’s possible of course, but he jumped superbly at Down Royal & how many Kempton mistakes have there been in the last 4 years…3?
Kauto to win easily
- Total Posts 17716
If anything gets within a whiff of Kauto Star’s backside I will forever refer to our self-appointed King as ‘God’.
Kauto Star by a street. Simples.
Question.- Who is the only horse to have won the King George in 5 consecutive years even though it wasn"t actually ran in 2010? Or Who is the only horse to win the King George as a 6yo,7yo,8yo,9yo and 11yo? Or Who is the only horse to win the King George twice in the same year? Tomorrows result poses a lot of questions for the Historians but statistics show the answers will be the same, No one! In the scale of all time Historical importance in racing results, tomorrows King George is right at the top,thats how big it is and i"m getting excited! My doubts surrounding Kauto Star achieving the incredible feat of 5 Victorys is based on being a realist,if he was an 8yo even i the merchant of doom would say he looks unbeatable but he"s not 8,he"s now 11 and has been through many battles,tomorrow is one too many imo! Form a Queue to shoot me down if i"m wrong!
TAPK does have a good point in that 11 year olds are a bit old. I imagine if Kauto Star does have a bad run, then the trainer will put it down to age/miles on the clock. However, it is difficult to see KS getting beaten on his favourite track by a fairly weak bunch of contenders. And I notice Sportingbet are offering faller insurance. Although fallers are rare in the King Geo, I think anyone having a casual bet up to £25 on KS might do well to take their punt with Sportingbet because I think falling is the biggest danger for KS.
A bumper nine race card at Kempton tomorrow, with 106 declared at the overnight stage. However, let’s not ignore the obvious, despite this generous festive treat in mid-January, the expected 10,000-plus strong crowd are attending to see just one horse – Kauto Star.
The best chaser of his generation. The only horse to reclaim a Cheltenham Gold Cup. The only horse to complete the King George / Gold Cup double on more than one occasion. Tomorrow, Kauto Star will bid to add another first to his CV – five King George VI chases.
Make no mistake, this unprecedented achievement would rank up there with the very best.
In his book,
The Grey Horse
, Richard Burridge stated the following “The demands of the Gold Cup were quite different from the King George: Kempton rewarded brilliance and fast jumping, while Cheltenham suited the slogger”.
It would be a wonderful accolade for Kauto Star to win such a contest more than any other horse in history – a fitting reward for taking equine brilliance to a new level.
Eight rivals stand between ’L’Extraterrestrial’ and yet another record.
Long Run, another high-class import from across the Channel, has long been mooted as the chief danger to Kauto Star and successor to the throne. Many have made comparisons between the two, and the Nicky Henderson-trained 6YO arrived on these shores with arguably a more impressive record, but Kauto enjoyed greater success during the embryonic stages of his career in this country.
Kauto Star won a Tingle Creek on just his fourth start in this country, whilst Long Run was beaten off 10-5 in the Paddy Power on his. Kauto also began life as a 6YO rated 167, compared to the 158 allocated to Long Run.
Jumping has been the main cause for concern with Long Run. Much like Kauto Star, he’s clearly a wonderful athlete with an innate ability to find a leg when falling looks almost inevitable. Ironically, he’s never fallen during his career, but I think it’s fair to say that his jumping will be put to the test tomorrow like never before and it will be interesting to see how he responds. The engine is there and it’s obvious that there is more to come from this exciting young horse. He raced exclusively at Auteuil during his twelve race career in France and it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that he is still adjusting to life in this country and the variety of challenges it presents.
The day will come when he stamps his authority on a race and announces himself on the big stage. He seems happiest on flat, sharp tracks and boasts a course and distance victory to his name, but his jumping remains a concern and for all that he has the ability to ruffle the feathers of Kauto Star, I’m not sure he’s streetwise enough at this stage of his career and I could not imagine Kauto getting beat off such a weight in the Paddy Power.
The Nightingale has moved into the box formerly occupied by the late Twist Magic and has come in for considerable support during the week leading up to the race, with the forecast soft ground sure to suit. He won on the same card as stable companion Kauto Star on the first Saturday in November, when comprehensively beating Roberto Goldback by 11L at Down Royal. The form has been somewhat franked after that horse ran a respectable third in the Grade 1 John Durkan behind Tranquil Sea.
A horse that coasted to success at Kempton last season, he has all the attributes to run a massive race in such an event: he travels well and is generally a sound jumper, but his ability to stay the trip in such exalted company has to be taken on trust and he is another whose inexperience may be his undoing around a track where horses are always asked to go that half a stride faster.
Nacarat ran a courageous race in this event last year, finishing a tired fourth. He proved as good as ever with a fine success in the Charlie Hall, but was well beaten in the Betfair Chase last time. The expected rain will do him no favours and he could once again pay the price late on when the emphasis is placed on stamina. He loves it around Kempton, but I think he could struggle to find a place on this occasion.
Forpadydeplasterer is a wonderfully consistent horse, if slightly infuriating, with eleven placed efforts in his seventeen race career. A horse with plenty of pace and class, he has an Arkle to his name and found only Big Zeb too good in the Champion Chase last year. Like a few of these, the ground is a big concern and it has been well documented that he would prefer less testing conditions, particularly when his ability to stay the trip is another question mark.
Champion Chaser Edredon Bleu stepped up to win this race in 2003, and Voy Por Ustedes finished a respectable third five years later after proving most effective over the minimum trip. If the rain had stayed away, it would have been no surprise to see this horse thereabouts on the turn-in and hanging on for a place, but in this ground it would appear unlikely and he may have to wait for a more suitable opportunity over this trip at a later date.
Planet Of Sound finally put everything together to win the Punchestown Gold Cup last April and he put up a most reassuring seasonal debut behind Imperial Commander at Haydock. Paul Nicholls singled him out at the start of the season as a danger to Kauto Star in this race, but Philip Hobbs has voiced concerns over the suitability of the track and the ground.
The 9YO has enjoyed most success on more galloping tracks and a combination of the fears expressed by his trainer are valid. I think he will run well, but will find a few too good in the circumstances.
Like Kauto Star, Riverside Theatre is unbeaten in four starts around Kempton. The form of his latest triumph over this track is nothing to get excited about, but you couldn’t fail to be impressed with the manner of the success. He travelled with ease, quickened away and finished it off with a mighty leap at the last.
Like Forpadydeplasterer, a combination of the ground and trip make him vulnerable stepping up to three miles, but he has each way aspirations and he is one to keep an eye on as the season progresses. Today may not be his day, but it would be no surprise if he were to win a race like the Ryanair or Melling Chase at the end of the season.
Madison Du Berlais has claimed a few scalps during his career and perhaps hasn’t got the recognition he deserves. Winner of a Totesport Bowl and a Hennessy, he also came second in this race last year, making up a huge amount of ground and staying on past beaten horses.
He looked physically in need of the race when runner-up in a novice hurdle on his seasonal bow before falling early on in the Hennessy.
Unlike the majority of these, there are no question marks regarding the ground, trip or course. We know he’s a very talented performer on his day and these conditions may bring out the best in him. David Pipe has said before that he loves soft ground and we all know he stays further than this. He will be staying on when others have cried enough and he has an excellent chance of reaching a place for the second successive year.
Albertas Run has not won beyond two miles-five since his RSA success at Cheltenham in 2008. A horse who is clearly at his best on a better surface, he should struggle tomorrow in softer than ideal conditions.
Cheltenham and Aintree will once again be his main objectives and he should be seen in a better light when he attempts to win successive Ryanair and Melling Chases, respectively.
Kauto Star proved his wellbeing with victory over two race fit rivals on his seasonal debut. He has always improved greatly from his first run of the season and in a race where there are so many question marks over the leading protagonists, barring incident he should once again make history.
We have seen in recent years that horses suited to the demands of this contest invariably return and run well again, namely Exotic Dancer and Racing Demon. Madison Du Berlais boasts solid form over course and distance, is versatile groundwise and will stay every yard of this trip.
I have backed him each way at 40/1 and similarly at 20/1 w/o Kauto Star.
Long Run is yet to finish unplaced during his sixteen race career and is booked for a place, at least, if his jumping holds up.
My idea of the first three:
1 KAUTO STAR
2 LONG RUN
3 MADISON DU BERLAIS- Total Posts 17716
TAPK does have a good point in that 11 year olds are a bit old.
Only if you ignore the fact that he’s 49 weeks younger than the normal 11yo KG candidate.
Kauto first, the rest nowhere!Forpaddydeplasterer looks a forgotten horse in this for me. Runner up in his last 6 races including 5 grade 1s.
Cracking chance of being in the money again so 16/1 e/w will do for me, even if Kauto wins wont be that gutted anyway!!
Bosranic wrote : " In his book, The Grey Horse, Richard Burridge stated the following “The demands of the Gold Cup were quite different from the King George: Kempton rewarded brilliance and fast jumping, while Cheltenham suited the slogger”.
_________________________________________________________
With all due respect – Bunkum ! What Richard Burridge really meant to say was that Desert Orchid found Cheltenham much more taxing than Kempton – regardless of race distance. Of course, it was only natural – given Dessie’s record on Boxing day – that he would big up the Kempton race at the expense of the big one round Cheltenham in March.Yes, Kempton, being a flat, round course, is more conducive to the speedier types but, and it’s an important but – many King George winners have gone on to win the Gold Cup and many Gold Cup winners have gone on to win the King George.
The Gold Cup; for me at least, remains the truest and toughest test for the 3 mile plus class chaser.
The Grand National is a different kettle of fish completely – so that doesn’t count.
Gambling Only Pays When You're Winning
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.