The Horse Racing Event that Never Was
The King George Chase is usually run on Boxing Day, but due to adverse weather conditions, the fixture took a switch into the New Year. It was expected Kauto Star would win the race comfortably but surprisingly all was not to go to plan. 15,000 race-goers attended the changed date, a reduced number due to the cold weather during the Christmas period (there were 6,000 less race-goers than the usual Boxing Day crowd). They were there to see a horse racing dream team - one of the best jump jockeys of all time, a brilliant trainer and of course an outstanding horse.
Kauto Star had previously won four successive King George VI Chases. In 2009 he provided a masterclass in horse racing to win by 36 lengths (time: 6m 7.10s). The year previous to that he won by eight lengths (with an impressive time of: 5m 57.4s) and in 2007 it was an outstanding 11 lengths (time: 6m 9.40s ). His first win was also by eight lengths in a time of 6m 5.70s.
Every Boxing Day for the past four years this amazing horse has delivered a win and in the previous 22 top races in which Kauto Star completed, he had never finished outside of the top two. In 2006, Tony McCoy was riding Exotic Dancer and was left frustrated as he watched Kauto Star win the race - this time the BBC Sports Personality of the Year must have thought he had covered all the bases, by riding one of the best jump horses, Kauto Star himself.
But it wasn't to be - for the first time in five years the favourite Kauto Star wasn't the winner but finished a tired third place, ending 19 lengths behind the winner Long Run, a horse almost half his age being ridden by a semi professional jockey. Race-goers mentioned he never looked like a winner at any stage of the race and looked flat and tired; perhaps his 11 years and the heavy fall he sustained in the Gold Cup did not help his performance.
His jumping is both an asset and liability, it has helped him win races but there have been times, as in this race, when he didn't produce his best jump and impacted his final position. Although he was off the pace from five fences out he never threw in the towel, an admirable trait. The four-time winner Desert Orchid may have been equalled but not yet surpassed for his exploits in the King George Chase.
Paul Nicholls and Clive Smith trained Kauto Star for longevity and the fact that he's completed his fifth King George is partly due to good training and having a good owner. Can a horse with physical attributes that combines a potent mixture of speed, stamina and versatility, one of great horses of his generation who netted his team over £2m in prize money, be written off? What next for one of the great jumpers of a generation? Only time will tell.
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With cold weather and heavy snow having gripped much of the UK in December 2010, the King George VI Chase which is normally held on Boxing Day has been delayed until 15th January 2011. There promises to be some horse racing personalities making the headlines in the new year race.
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