Kauto Star

You beauty

What a Star!!..what a crowd!!..super champion.

The stars of the show today

Just home but wonderful to see, had the chaps at the function go to 323!!

Kauto Star storms to Gold Cup glory


Report: Cheltenham Festival, Friday
Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup (Grade 1) 3m2½f

KAUTO STAR became the first horse in history to regain the Cheltenham Gold Cup when storming up the hill to win as the 7-4 favourite.

No fewer than 24 horses had attempted to regain the crown a total of 34 times but it was Kauto Star who finally broke the record.

And bookmaker William Hill make him a 2-1 shot to make it three Gold Cups in 2010.


He was also jockey Ruby Walsh's record-breaking seventh winner of the week, while trainer Paul Nicholls notched the record for the largest number of winners trained during the festival with five successes.

Neptune Collonges bounced out into the lead under Christian Williams with Snoopy Loopy for company, while the big two - Denman and Kauto Star - matched paces just behind.

The pace was only fair to start with but lifted as the field went out on the second circuit, where Halcon Generladais was pulled up having been under pressure from early on.

Neptune Collonges continued to jump well in front but in behind Kauto Star and Denman were going supremely well in company with Barbers Shop.

At the top of the hill Barbers Shop was slightly squeezed and dropped back and his place was taken by Exotic Dancer, who had been creeping nearer and nearer under champion jockey Tony McCoy.

But just as his opponents were readying themselves for a battle up the home straight then they were put emphatically in their place by Kauto Star.

He eased away under Walsh and jumped the final two fences with consummate ease to gallop home the 13-length winner.

Denman silenced his doubters with a game effort to take second at 7-1 with Exotic Dancer third at 8-1 but the race was all about the winner.

Walsh said: "He's the greatest horse I've ever ridden. Two miles,
rubywalsh


"He travelled super all the way. I planned to follow Christian (Williams on Neptune Collonges) over the second last, but he pinged four out, pinged three out and two out as well. I love him anyway."

Walsh added: "When Sam (Thomas, on Denman) moved up alongside me I didn't know what was going to happen off the bend.

"But in all fairness to him he has picked up, winged the second-last and galloped all the way to the line.

"Denman has run an incredible race because two weeks ago it was 50-50 whether he was going to run or not and he has turned into the straight upsides in a Gold Cup, an incredible performance.

"Kauto jumped super, travelled so well all the way and I was probably in front sooner than I wanted but he just took me there.

"He was brilliant two out and pinged the last - which is unusual for him - I've had an amazing week and he was the one I wanted to win with. He's a legend."
Paul Nicholls - Trainer



Nicholls said: "He's fit, he's fresh, he was never going to get beat today, but what a race Denman ran - Two weeks ago you'd have drawn stumps. It was a huge run from him and he'll be back next year.

"Kauto Star was fresh, very fit and the ground came right. He's a very good horse.

"My Will finished fifth as well, he ran a blinder.He will go to Aintree now with a massive chance.

"Neptune Collonges (fourth) ran a cracking race, the ground had just gone against him.

"But to get Kauto Star here today and Denman to run as good as that will give everyone pleasure as well. What an unbelievable horse Kauto Star is."

Nicholls added: "We know Kauto has to be fresh and we will just have three runs next season, Down Royal, Kempton and then back for a third Gold Cup."
Clive Smith - Owner



Owner Clive Smith added: "I'm staggered. What a wonderful run, the best he's ever run I think. It's unbelievable to have won the Champion Chase (with Master Minded) and now this. I can't believe it.

"I just felt he was in great, great form. Paul and Ruby both said to me that this was the best he's ever been.

"The best race of his career, the best of his life, and my life."

Harry Findlay, part-owner of Denman, said: "It was so hard for us going into the race because we've said many times there is only one way to beat Kauto round here and we were never in a position to do that today.

"Like Paul said, two weeks ago we were a doubtful runner. I said two years ago I thought the pace of the race in the Gold Cup was so beneficial to Kauto Star and after a few fences today I thought he was a 4-7 shot.

"So for Denman to run so well off that pace - he's murdered them everywhere because they were genuinely going at two-and-a-half-mile pace throughout.

"I thought it was an outstanding performance, Sam (Thomas) was so happy with him, we were all so happy with him.

"I watch things as a gambler, not an owner, and my immediate reaction was that he'd be a great punt for next year and hopefully there'll be no problems with Denman now and we can have the decider next year.

"That would be so good for racing so with Ruby on Kauto and Sam on Denman, if Paul gets them both back again it could be fireworks.

Bookmakers count cost of Kauto Star win


BOOKMAKERS were left counting the cost of Kauto Star's record-breaking win in Friday's Cheltenhams Gold Cup with his 13-length romp under red-hot Ruby Walsh estimated to have cost the industry £20million.


The firms had gone into the week fearing the worst from a £500m betting bonanza but Kauto Star became only the second of the five bankers - following stablemate Master Minded - to oblige after Binocular, Voy Por Ustedes and Kasbah Bliss all suffered unexpected reversals.

Despite that, both Coral and Totesport said the big race result cost the industry £20 million.

Coral's Simon Clare said: "Bookmakers have been on the ropes all week and Kauto Star's victory was the knockout blow.

"When the most popular horse in training, ridden by the in-form jockey at the festival, wins the biggest race of the week, it spells disaster for bookmakers and so it proved. We have taken one hell of a beating"

Both Ladbrokes and William Hill put the pay-out at a more conservative £10million, a result which Ladbrokes described as "the worst single result at the festival for years."

Hill's David Hood said: "Kauto has been the people's horse since he replaced Denman at the head of the market in February.

"The sheer confidence in public of his trainer Paul Nicholls, had punters backing him in to a solid 7-4 favourite on Friday and I estimate they'll be collecting the thick end of £10 million in winnings."

The Gold Cup win was the seventh winner of the week for Walsh and the successes of the ante-post favourite to be top jockey at the meeting hit the layers hard.

Blue Square's Alan Alger said: "We're absolutely on our knees on the final day of the festival. Ruby Walsh has had an incredible four-days and this is just the icing on the cake for him. His previous six winners had been well supported, including 20-1 shot American Trilogy earlier today, but this has just emptied our satchels!"

Home page updated!

Kauto Star could run in three moreGold Cups


PAUL NICHOLLS has ruled out the prospect of history-making Gold Cup hero running again this season, but held out the possibility of running the dual winner "in the next three Gold Cups, if we look after him well enough".
Paul Nicholls



Kauto Star was in rude health after his arrival back at Manor Farm Stables in Ditcheat at 9pm on Friday evening.

Nicholls said: "He's such a complete professional he amazes me. He wins his second Gold Cup like that, hardly has a blow in the winner's enclosure, came back and ate up last night as if he'd just done a normal day's work.

"But Clive Smith and I have had a chat this morning and agreed that he's done enough for the season. A reappearance at Down Royal again in the autumn is not set in stone, but that remains the likely starting point."

The trainer added: "Friday's win showed he's as good as he's ever been. When he's super-fit and fresh, as he was for this year's race, he's lethal. He was in the best shape I'veever had him.


"I've said all along he's been in better form this season than last, and there's no reason why he can't come back the same in the autumn as I see no sign of deterioration. And if he has just three runs a season, he could run in the Gold Cup at ten, 11 and 12.

"With any luck, next year we'll get him and Denman back for the race both in tip-top form."

The trainer spoke of his "relief" that Denman had returned to the yard in much better shape that 12 months ago.

He added: "Considering all the problem's he'd had, it incredible that he's come back as fresh as any of them. The way he and Kauto ran, they were both winners in my book. It was my one big worry if something had happened to Denman and he hadn't returned safe.

"But we're not going to alter the plan for him. The next time we might see him on a racecourse will be in the Betfair Chase in November.

Bumper viewing figures for Gold Cup


ONE in four viewers watching terrestrial television on Friday afternoon tuned into watch Kauto Star's historic win in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Channel 4 Racing's live broadcast on Friday attracted a peak audience of 1.7m, 26 per cent of the market share, an increase on the previous year's figure of a high of 1.2m or 19.3 per cent share.



The average for Friday's afternoon four-hour broadcast was 1.2m, a 50 per cent increase on the average of 800,000 who tuned in 12 months earlier. Peak figures for the other live broadcasts were largely on a par with 2008, Tuesday's figure of 1.3m was the same as the year before, the same figure also tuned in on Thursday, while Wednesday's 1.4m peak represented a 200,000 rise from 12 months earlier when racing at Cheltenham was abandoned.



A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: "Channel 4 is delighted with these terrific audience figures."

Friday's primetime re-run of the Gold Cup was also a hit with viewers, with some 2m tuning into to watch the race at 7.25pm, a massive jump on the figure from 12 months earlier when the re-screening of Denman's win at a slightly later time attracted 500,000.