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What a great race it was. Too bad Kauto Star didn’t win, but the best won. Kauto wasn’t in the form I used to see him. Perhaps his age is catching up. But he is still my champion. For some reason I think that Riverside Theatre has a bright future ahead. Long Run ran a good race. The most important thing for me is that both jockeys and horses got home safe and sound.
I don’t think we’ll ever see Kauto Star on the racetrack again, and, if we do, then his connections aren’t the people I think them to be. He got away with his life in the Gold Cup, he could easily have fallen today; he’s beyond the point of equilibrium and on a downward trajectory. For the sake of NH racing let’s have a horse that can come back each year and lead the parade at Kempton and Cheltenham. He’s got nothing left to prove to anybody, surely. And, boy, am I glad to see him finish safe and sound today.
Totally agree. That’s the Gold Cup run, the Down Royal run where he made hard work of it and now today. Following his incredible King George run last season he hasn’t been the same it looks almost certain that he’s going on the decline and it wouldn’t be fair to the legend to let him continue racing. He’s nothing at all to prove anyway. Knowing the man Clive Smith is I’d be amazed if he doesn’t retire old Kauto now.
So don’t agree. he hosed up at Down Royal, I was there and saw it. Neither of the the other two horses that day could have beaten him. He didn’t win today but he still came in ahead of good horses, a couple of which didn’t even finish. We all know he has nothing to prove, but if he still enjoys his racing why not keep him in training. And why knock AP, a lesser jockey would have come off when he paddled through the second last.
What was going on with the Tactics. When has Kauto Star been ridden to the pace like that. Especially in such testing condition as the Front Runner’s were struggling to get home. He was keen to boot also. Incredible ride to be honest. Where was the idea of settling the horse in the middle of the pack like Ruby has always done. He was struggling going out the back straight on the final circuit with his jumping but that was always going to be the case since he was being pushed out of his comfort zone 3 wide the whole way.
Sam whaley cowen i dont rate but he gave that horse a peach of a ride. Out thought McCoy the whole way round. Why didnt he drop Kauto in? Only he knows tbh. 3 wide the whole way around on that pace up front was always going to be the complete opposite what Kauto wanted. Astonished the ride has been looked into in detail by JF.
You obviously havent seen Sam Whaley-Cohen ride much or you would rate the guy. He has a big job in London and doesn’t get many opportunities as a result, but I have seen the guy ride a lot in points and he can do the job I can assure you.
I don’t blame AP, I just think Kauto has sadly declined. He was workman like at Down Royal. They can go downhill quickly just as Moscow Flyer and, for that matter, Desert Orchid whose decline was quite dramatic really. His run was the run of an 11 year old star whom, sadly, we won’t see in racing action much more. I should think they will go to the Gold Cup and see how he runs there and then probably call it a day after that. though no one should be surprised if this was his last race. The connections are good people and will do what is best for the great horse.
I don’t believe Kauto Star has dropped stones since Down Royal. I believe the Camp make a complete an utter joke of the race tactics.
Nicholls can say what he wants but they said yesterday he was as good as he has every been. I hope he comes out and says his race instructions where a contributing factor to the demise of this horse today.
To see him flapping around with Nacarat was a sad sight for the game. And once again the Racing Market people have had a shocking result with the record holder beaten half the track.
What were those blue woggly things that Long Run had on his bridle? Is it some sort of good luck charm or a Yogi invention of some kind? Do the other Whalley Cohen horses wear them??
Fist, even the "experts" sometimes get it woefully wrong.
To all those who marked up and bet Long Run before Christmas ( myself included
} and kept the faith throughout… well done ! It’s our turn to brag.
Today we saw the demise of
Kauto star
,its really not the time to be bragging.I for one am saddened to see him run at least 20lb below his best and see Long Run 20lb above his Paddy Power performance! Thats racing and Nicky Hendersons the Ryan Price of the Jumps! The Nightingales inexperience cost him dearly and the race itself has seen me lose £500 in total bets!
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.
GOD with an R in its fine mate!
He will be retired now as Cheltenham will kill him! 
- Total Posts 17716
What was going on with the Tactics. When has Kauto Star been ridden to the pace like that. Especially in such testing condition as the Front Runner’s were struggling to get home. He was keen to boot also. Incredible ride to be honest. Where was the idea of settling the horse in the middle of the pack like Ruby has always done. He was struggling going out the back straight on the final circuit with his jumping but that was always going to be the case since he was being pushed out of his comfort zone 3 wide the whole way.
The ground wasn’t ‘testing’ (only 4 secs over standard), and Ruby made it clear this morning that he neede to be up with the pace. Nothing the horse or jockey could have done woud have made much difference to the result.
In hindsight, maybe he needs to be "up with the pace" as he has lost his speed. Last year his opponents galloped themselves into the ground, but in both races since Kauto has hardly shown the change of gear he was once capable of.It is surely time to retire this wonderful horse whilst he is still sound and after today he can go out with his head held high.
For me today was marred by too many fatal falls and I don’t think I could bear it if anything happened to Kauto.
"this perfect mix of poetry and destruction, this glory of rhythm, power and majesty: the undisputed champion of the world!!!"
I see Long Run won in 6.03 whereas Kauto won in similar conditions last year (2009)in 6.07 when Long Run won the Feltham in 6.15. It looks more like a massive improvement in Long Run than a major decline in Kauto to me. Kauto didn’t look quite right to me – this might be old age or might be some other problem. I think he might as well have a shot at the Gold Cup. If age is the explanation for today’s disappointment then he should be 25-1 or more for the GC but if he has a different more temporary excuse then maybe 6-1.
they were earplugs i should think
They are ear plugs. I believe that he can wear them during a parade and at the start but they must be pulled out before the race starts.
I think some show jumpers have them in under a fly fringe indoors.
Ear plugs can be worn in the race itself. But they can not be taken out during the race. Westerner’s jockey got in to trouble by doing so in the Ascot Gold Cup.
Ear plugs transformed Exotic Dancer a few years ago.
Should make it compulsive to declare them, as it is blinkers etc.
Value Is EverythingI think 3 wide and up with the pace is stupid tactics no matter what anyone says.
Being up with the pace…fair enough sit in behind 3l off Nacarat….but what they did was sit 3 wide 1l off the lead. Poor tactics and the horse didn’t deserve such shoddy treatment.
I backed against Kauto Star today, in part because there was a significant chance the 11 year old is on the downgrade.
However, there is one valid excuse as AJ says:Paul Nicholls isn’t exactly in sparkling form (only 4 winners from 35 runners in the last two weeks).
A lot of his have run below form recently, not just Kauto Star.
It is possible or even probable age is catching up with him, but it’s also possible he just wasn’t right. Therefore I don’t think connections should retire Kauto Star just yet.
Of course if connections feel he is not the same horse, then retire him. But if they’re happy, why not give him one last try to go out on a high in the Gold Cup?
Value Is EverythingJust got back from Kempton. These events – more often than not – often bring with it a sense of anticlimax, but in our disappointment we should celebrate the dynamic nature of our sport.
If everything stayed the same, it would be a fairly boring world.
Always enjoyable reading on these pages in the aftermath of such a dramatic event. As always plenty of emotion, but it’s always nice to put a few things into perspective and I’ve had a two hour return journey to reflect on the race.
The main topic of discussion in wake of Kauto’s defeat is predictably his age. I was speaking to a couple of friends during the trip to the course and I opined that Kauto’s peak began when he regained the Gold Cup. That year culminated with an awesome performance to land his fourth King George.
He was literally infallible during that nine month reign and his short head defeat of Imperial Commander in the Betfair Chase looks better now than it did at the time – especially when you consider how good IC is when fresh and what he went on to achieve.
It’s hard to believe that Kauto could remain at the top of his game for such an extended period of time – nearly two years have passed since he regained the Gold Cup crown.
His satisfactory seasonal bow was no surprise. He has always improved greatly from his first run, and with that knowledge it indicated that he certainly retained enough ability to win a fourth King George.
It’s easy, possibly naive, to say that Old Father Time is the sole reason behind his demise this afternoon. It certainly has to be considered a contributing factor, but not necessarily the primary factor.
Nacarat, occupying the fourth spot for a second successive year, ran an identical race, yet finished 35L closer to Kauto Star than in 2009.
Is it possible that such a radical reduction is purely down to age, especially when you consider that Nacarat is no spring chicken himself?
I think if that was the case, Kauto would not have displayed such a fair degree of ability on his seasonal bow just ten weeks earlier.
For some reason, the exuberant leaps that have become his trademark around Kempton simply weren’t evident today, bar one fence down the far side on the second circuit.
He didn’t jump badly today. He fiddled a few but, as we have so often seen, he was very clever when he needed to be. However, his jumping was far from fluent – it was sticky on occasions and lacked the usual zest.
Once again I ask – Is age the sole contributing factor?
The booking of AP McCoy was met with the same divided response as last year when he was given the responsibility of guiding Denman around Newbury in the Aon Chase. We could be forgiven for experiencing a case of Deja Vu as AP was nearly knocked out the side door after belted the second last.
AP did nothing wrong, in my opinion. He clearly rode the horse as per instructions and gave him every chance. Whether Kauto was happy with the guy on his back is another question. Ruby Walsh and AP, whilst both brilliant in the saddle, have markedly contrasting styles. Ruby is like a Ninja in the saddle – you would hardly know he was there. Whereas AP is more authoritive and less subtle.
This was a contributing factor, in my opinion, but I will reiterate that AP did nothing wrong. It has often been said that styles make good fights in the boxing world. In the racing world, they can be the foundation of a great partnership.
Paul Nicholls has hardly been in great form of late and that also has be taken into consideration. Conversely, Nicky Henderson is in sparkling form and saddled the first two in todays showpiece. Will the respective camps be in such form come March?
Talk that Kauto should be retired is slightly premature. Connections have nothing to lose by giving him one last hurrah in the race where he made history. There is not enough evidence to suggest that he doesn’t retain enough ability to do himself justice, and one could argue that perhaps the conditions of a Gold Cup are more suitable after todays performance, granted that he has lost a yard of pace. He stays extremely well and if he turns up at Prestbury Park in good health, he could surprise a few, especially when there are question marks over so many of his rivals concerning the trip, course and, like Kauto, age.
I stated before the race that Long Run would one day announce himself on the big stage and he did so in impressive fashion.
Always blessed with a huge amount of ability, jumping has been his Achilles heel during the embryonic stages of his career in this country. Hard work and, in my opinion, a more suitable course contributed to the marked improvement today.
I’m not convinced he can win a Gold Cup. His two defeats thus far have come around Prestbury Park, whilst his triumphs have come around sharp, flat tracks. He makes no appeal at current odds and you have to go back to 1963, where a certain Mill House, won the blue ribbon event as a 6YO.
I got a few things wrong in my pre-race analysis, but I stated that Riverside Theatre could win a Ryanair or Melling Chase. I was confident that he was more than capable of holding his own in this company, but the conditions were a huge negative and I passed him over on this occasion.
A very good effort and he’s an exciting prospect to look forward to over the coming years.
The King may have been dethroned, but Elvis is not ready to leave the building just yet. He has one last gig to attend and will polish his blue suede shoes for one final battle.
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