Kauto Star: The End of the Legend?

Kauto Star powers up the hill at Cheltenham on his way to winning the 2009 Gold Cup but have we seen the last of the great chaser on that hallowed turf?

Everyone loves Kauto Star. People who never usually watch horse racing love him. Even those deeply entwined with the sport obsess over him. Why? Because he’s a tryer. He never gives less than 100% every single time he races and he has rightly become a bit of a sporting hero – which is why Friday’s events were made all the harder.

The 2012 Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup was billed as a straight showdown between a rejuvenated Kauto and the young pretender, Long Run (as it turned out, neither of them would claim the prize.) Kauto Star had seemingly returned back to his best form after a rocky past couple of years, going from being pulled up at Punchestown in May to beating a heavily favoured Long Run at the Betfair Chase at Haydock in November before winning a record fifth King George VI Chase on Boxing Day. The stage was set for a classic Gold Cup rematch between two of the best horses of their generation in their prime but sadly fate robbed us of that opportunity as Kauto fell heavily over the gallops at his yard. While he could still make the Gold Cup, it was unlikely that he would be at full fitness.

Ruby Walsh pulls up Kauto Star during the 2012 Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup

Sure enough, he made the elite field that would compete for jump racing’s greatest prize. When he made his way around the parade ring, he was given a cheer that is usually confined to the Winner’s Enclosure and was still a close second favourite in the betting despite his injury. Even in the early stages of the race, the plucky chaser looked in very good shape and was nicely positioned too but then going over the open ditch he tweaked a muscle and promptly fell back down the field. Jockey Ruby Walsh had no option but to pull him up. He was cheered even then, people were too happy to see that he was safe to care about lost money. For Kauto Star, the chance of a third Gold Cup was over.

Where does National Hunt racing turn to for its next superstar? Before this year’s race I would have said Long Run without any shadow of a doubt – he’s young, he’s fast, he’s a brilliant stayer and has at least two more Gold Cups in him. Yet the way he was beaten so convincingly by Synchronized and even The Giant Bolster suggests that his best might be behind him. If he comes back and wins it next year then hats off to him but we may be waiting a while for a new hero to step forward. Sir Des Champs and Sprinter Sacre both looked deeply impressive at the Festival this year and are well worth keeping an eye on for the future.

This was likely to be Kauto’s last Gold Cup anyway (he’s 12 years old after all) but the fragility of his race may force trainer Paul Nicholls and owner Clive Smith to retire him. Nicholls has said however that all talk of Kauto’s retirement is “very premature”. If he does choose to retire the great gelding then Kauto Star will be remembered as one of the best loved and fastest steeplechasers in history. I have fond memories of the horse myself.

The first time I saw Kauto Star in action was by accident when I saw highlights of a race at Exeter where he unseated Ruby at the second last despite having a giant lead leaving Ruby to climb back on to him minus his stirrups and chase down the new leader, falling short by a head. When I saw that he would be lining up in the 2007 Gold Cup I tuned in and witnessed the emergence of a superstar as he beat Exotic Dancer by a couple of lengths and I think that is when the public began to take Kauto Star to their hearts too. He was defeated by Denman at the 2008 running of the classic race but became the first horse to regain the Gold Cup after storming to victory by 13 lengths over Denman in 2009 in what was an absolute masterclass.

Trainer Paul Nicholls poses with Kauto Star and his stablemate Denman

My biggest personal memory of Kauto Star came when I was working at Cheltenham Racecourse during the 2010 Gold Cup week (studying in Cheltenham means that the whole town pretty much shuts down during those four days).  All week had been building up to Kauto Star vs Denman round three but in the end Imperial Commander took the spoils on a wet Friday afternoon. You could hear the cheers for Kauto reverberate around the racecourse before the start and you could sense that something quite special was in the air. I managed to time my break to coincide with the Gold Cup race itself and managed to position myself quite nicely down by the famous Cheltenham Hill. As soon as it started raining, I knew that Denman would stand more of a chance than Kauto but just seeing him in action was enough. I’ve been lucky enough to see a few sporting legends in my time – Federer, Nadal, Woods, Tom Watson, McCoy, Vettel and soon Usain Bolt but I would count Kauto amongst the best. That was the afternoon that he unseated Ruby at the start of the second lap of the course and when it happened there was no real outburst of emotion. One guy near me had put £1,000 on Kauto to win but he didn’t have a breakdown or become aggressive, he just shrugged and said that he bet with his heart. That’s what Kauto Star could do – make you feel as though the impossible could be possible, make you feel as though you HAD to support him.

This is without even mentioning his five King George triumphs. I don’t think I’ll ever see a racehorse as good as Kauto Star for a very, very long time and when I do it’ll be a struggle for it to get anywhere near the level of admiration I have for that French monster. If you still need convincing as to how good Kauto is or was here are some stats:

• Probably Kauto’s most impressive statistic is his record in Grade 1 Chases. In his first six years in Britain he competed in 18 Grade 1 races over distances from 2 miles to 3¼ miles. He completed 15, winning 14, with his solitary second place coming in the 2008 Gold Cup to his stablemate Denman.

• With his 2011 Gold Cup third place, Kauto kept his record of never finishing outside the places in any of his 27 completed races in his seven seasons in Britain.

• His official rating of 193 given after his fourth King George win was the highest ever awarded to a steeplechaser.

• He’s the only horse to have won the King George five times.

• He’s the only horse to have ever regained the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

• He’s the only horse to have ever won two separate Grade 1 (or Group 1) races over four times (Betfair Chase four times and King George VI Chase five times).

• He has won more prize money than any other National Hunt horse in the history of the sport.

• He is the only horse to win Grade 1 races in seven consecutive seasons.

• He is the only horse to have won 16 Grade 1 races in total

An incredible horse and one that I’m sure we’ll all miss when he finally does retire but this story goes beyond the record books, he will be remembered as a true great of the sport because he embodied the best of the human spirit. People will say “I was there when Kauto Star raced” – I know I will.