The horse that really got me into racing, and my absolute favourite. No horse has made me cry and jump for joy like this boy has, and I wish him the happiest of retirements. I look forward to seeing him parade before the Betfair Chase and the King George- hopefully for many years to comes. I'm just so glad that he and Denman, warriors that they were, have been able to retire in one piece. I hope Cheltenham gets both horses to parade before the Gold Cup in 2013.
when i moved here and was having a rubbish christmas, i left the tv on overnight and then woke up boxing day to see a legend jump the kempton fences. i knew it, remembering jump racing from my childhood (dessie), and then christmas was really exciting. kauto star has never failed to be an exciting horse in my book. heart in mouth moments and last fence mistakes and massive length wins. it's not often you get to see, year in year out, a fantastically successful jump horse like him. challengers came and went and he still came back and showed his class and won again. i think what makes it extra special is his recent betfair and 5th king george wins at 11 when some of us were doubting (me included). what a return at such an age. really. it must have been a hard call to retire him. so here's wishing him a very long and happy retirement. he deserves it. horse racing can keep me going sometimes, but kauto star made watching the racing bigger and better and i'm sure i'm not the only one to be thankful.
Press Release: FOUR-TIME BETFAIR CHASE HERO KAUTO STAR TO PARADE AT HAYDOCK PARK ON NOVEMBER 24 KAUTO STAR STATUE TO BE UNVEILED ON BETFAIR CHASE DAY Haydock Park is delighted to announce that Kauto Star, whose retirement was announced yesterday, will be parading at the racecourse on Betfair Chase Day, Saturday, November 24. The Clive Smith-owned chaser boasted a Timeform rating of 191 at his best, making him the joint-third best chaser of all time with the respected Halifax-based organisation. Kauto Star's record at Haydock Park was outstanding, with four victories in the Betfair Chase (2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011). Ruby Walsh partnered him to three of those victories, with Sam Thomas taking the mount in 2007. Kauto Star also won the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on a record five occasions (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2011) and the Cheltenham Gold Cup twice (2007 & 2009). In the 2006/07 season, when Kauto Star landed the Betfair Chase, King George VI Chase and Cheltenham Gold Cup, he collected the Betfair Million - a prize of £1 million offered by Betfair to any horse that could win all three races in the same season. This was the largest bonus ever offered in the history of Jump racing. Haydock Park is also thrilled to reveal that a statue of Kauto Star will be unveiled at the racecourse on Betfair Chase Day. Commissioned by Haydock Park and Betfair, the half-life size study of Kauto Star was created by renowned sculptor Will Newton, who is based in Somerset close to the yard of Kauto Star's trainer Paul Nicholls. John Baker, Regional Director North West for Jockey Club Racecourses, said: "The Betfair Chase was only run for the first time in 2005 but its establishment as the key early season target for championship class staying chasers owes much to the record of Kauto Star in the race. "Haydock Park is therefore delighted to honour Kauto Star with his own statue at the racecourse and we look forward to welcoming him back to the scene of his four Betfair Chase victories on November 24. "We were honoured to stage one of the greatest performances of Kauto Star's career in the Betfair Chase last year, when the reception for him was truly spine-tingling. "The Haydock crowds and team will miss him but we will also celebrate a wonderful career and a wonderful association with the Betfair Chase and Haydock Park." Betfair spokesman, Tony Calvin, added: "It is great news that Kauto Star will parade at Haydock Park on Betfair Chase Day. "He won our race four times, and it probably would have been five had he not unseated his rider at the last in 2008. "And it is obviously very fitting that we will be unveiling his statue at the course on the day, too. "Betfair and Haydock jointly commissioned a statue from Will Newton earlier this year, so Kauto's legacy will remain at the course in full view."
Haydock Park is a good venue for his statue...assumedly Kempton Park will have a chase named in his honour just as they did for Desert Orchid after his King George exploits ! Denman will surely have a chase named after him at Newbury ...whilst if Big Bucks wins an unprecedented 5th World Hurdle he could become only the second horse, after Arkle, to have a race named after him at the Festival too !
They already renamed the AON Chase to the Denman Chase - I thought an aficionado such as yourself would have known that
'You can talk all you want about the greatest horses of all time, he's (Kauto Star) outlasted them all' - Ruby Walsh Never a truer word spoken, and if you don't understand what he means then you don't understand how much ability, guts, and natural athleticism it takes to produce top sporting performances season in, season out. He's done it for longer than any other horse in history (grade 1s in 7 consecutive seasons?), and for that alone he deserves to be placed in the midst of the greatest of all time. Enjoy your retirement King Kauto, racing will certainly miss you
Ruby Walsh obviously has a short memory and wasn't around when the likes of Golden Miller,Easter Hero,Prince Regent,Cottage Rake,Mandarin,Mill House and even Desert Orchid raced until their 11th and 12th years also ,and had even more success than KS whilst they also proved themselves conceding stones in weight to the opposition. Kauto Star was luckier than Denman as Alistair Down said in his assessment on C4 today in as much as he stayed sound his whole career whereas Denman did not ! Happy Retirement Kauto Star...no-one can begrudge him that and his proven versatility !
Arkle, this is not a thread for "my horse is better than your horse" statements. This is a thread to acknowledge the retirement of one of the greats. Please don't attempt to pit the merits of one horse against another on this thread.
I really want to find a video of Simon Holt commentating on the 2011 Betfair chase. If you don't watch that with goosebumps and a tear in your eye, then you will never understand what Kauto Star has been for the past 7 seasons.
Just for you Toppy - grab it before it gets removed for copyright infringement: [video=youtube;mIy8iw6stCM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIy8iw6stCM&feature=youtu.be[/video]
