Sad news and some nice tributes on here. Unfortunately I proved to be a bit of a Jonah watching Kauto live. Fell in the Champion Chase, 2nd to Denman in the 2008 Gold Cup and fell in Imperial Commander's Gold Cup. Still pissed off with myself for not going up to Haydock for his last Betfair Chase run. Having said that I might have got him beat. I doubt it though he was brilliant that day, 6/1 too. As the Aussies would say, a champion.
Truly awful news! For such a legend to the sport! He was the best of my lifetime and will never see a horse as good as him Denman had heart, Neptune Collognes had the jumping ability, Big Bucks had stamina, Master Minded had speed Imo Kauto Star was the best as he had all these and more. The day Kauto pulled up in the gold cup I have and will never see anything like that at all! He got a bigger cheer than the first race at cheltenham an every single person was clapping him! He really is a everything to horse racing and up there with there likes of Arkle , Red Rum and Desert Arkle - the 3 kings have just enrolled a new member and if he could knighted he would have been SIR KAUTO STAR RIP FELLA
From an old friend of ours. Hope you can see these as they are from Facebook please log in to view this image Angela Carol Lee-Brown 1 hr · Edited · KAUTO STAR parading at Cheltenham Gold Cup meeting 2013 after his retirement. I am proud to have been able to get some shots of him that day. Angela/ Palamedees UK. please log in to view this image please log in to view this image
If anyone is feelings sensitive about the story, please don't read the latest update from the vet that treated him on Racing Post. It's not nice reading and I wish I hadn't.
There's an article on BBC Sport website called "Rider Laura Collett hurt by 'lies' over horse's death.", it's the last thing she needs.
You're right it's not nice for the woman she wasn't even there but when I first read about Kauto dying my initial thought was it sounded a bit dodgy and suspicious and maybe an insurance job
I don't know if he would have even been insured tbh. After all he was a gelding who was to old to race anymore, so apart from maybe some small appearance fees at Kempton on Boxing Day, or at the Cheltenham festival, he wouldn't have been of any value. Though any appearance fees he earnt would be wiped out pretty quickly by his day to day up keep. The roumers are to be expected, as people speculate on the net. However as there is no evidence of any wrong doing people really shouldn't be throwing around accusations. It can't be nice for the girl to be accused of something like that, especially when it's a horse that has as many fans as Kauto Star does. I still think now though in hindsight, that leaving him with Nicholls and letting him get involved in the day to day gallops with the other horses would have been the best for him. Taking him away from all he knew, probably wasn't the wisest move. But that's easy to say in hindsight.
I read about the trolling. Sadly these days it seems to be de rigeur. Laura is a highly experienced horsewoman, it's not as if Clive handed him over to a novice rider with no experience of Thoroughbreds.
