Kauto Star
A profile of Kauto Star
Kauto Star is rapidly being regarded among racing pundits and online betting enthusiasts alike as a living legend in the mould of Arkle and Millhouse. The horse dominated the last national Hunt season and shows signs only of relentless improvement in the build up to his defence of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. A second win there would be another step towards immortality and, with the possible exception of stablemate Denman, it?s difficult to see anything standing in his way.
Performances of Kauto Star
It was not always so. In the run up to last year?s Gold Cup his jumping wasn?t enough to encourage an odds-on price for the great race. Resounding wins in the Betfair Cup, Tingle Creek Chase and the King George VI had failed to persuade the pundits that here was something special. A terrible error in the King George VI where he clipped the last fence led some to believe that, should this be repeated on the stiffer Cheltenham fences, he would go down - or at least lose critical momentum. Class prevailed however and, despite a repeat of the mistake at the ensuing 2007 Gold Cup, he motored on to maintain his lead on runner-up, Exotic Dancer.
The characteristics of Kauto Star
In common with previous revered horses, Kauto Star shows versatility in his wins over two and three miles. In 22 races in France and Britain, he has been victorious 12 times and is the first horse to win over £2m in prize money over jumps.
Winners of the Chase, King George VI and the Gold Cup gift their owner a £1,000,000 bonus and Kauto achieved this last season. He has repeated his successes this season and a win at the Gold Cup would see a repeat of this achievement and a very satisfactory payday for owner Clive Smith. Only his inclination to clip fences diminishes his chances, but trainer, Paul Nicholls and jockey Ruby Walsh are working hard to iron out this weakness. For seasoned observers, despite five wins in five outings this season, the tendency to fall is their big worry ? it is felt that twenty two fences must yield three or four mistakes.
Interestingly owner Smith bypasses Denman and considers War of Attrition and last year?s runner up, Exotic Dancer, to be the main threats. However, insider talk reveals that Smith declares his horse to be ?bouncing?.
Kauto Star fanatics
Pedantic followers of horse racing betting may wish to know that some say Kauto should rhyme with auto. Others say the official pronunciation is Kaw-to but, at the stable they all say Kay-to. Bred in France where he blew everyone away with his fantastic pace and power, he was nicknamed L?Extraterrestrial. You can call him what you like if he loses.
There are twenty nine contenders for this year?s Gold Cup and Kauto Star and Denman top the list. The clash between this pair, both out of Paul Nicholl?s stable will be not just the highlight of the jump season, but of the decade. Rarely has the racing world and that of disciples of sports betting been offered such an appetising delight which promises a gladiatorial battle between two horses that live in adjoining stables yet have never raced against each other, one the legend and the other the young pretender.
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