Yeah thats the fella, looked very good for a very cheeky win yesterday, would like to see what he finds off the bridle before having a bet though because you cant win a Triumph that easy

The day has arrived. Kauto Star has the chance to take his place amongst the true greats of the sport.

Can't back him and can't lay him today. In my opinion people are foolish to back him at the prohibitive odds and people are even more foolish to lay him because he is a horse with an abundance of talent.

I'm not sure whether he will make it round (his jumping errors can't be ignored, and with the amount of 'bankers' falling so far this week..... its hard not to be worried) I'm also not convinced he will have the stamina to last out over the extended 3m2f today, especially when it still looks rather sticky and tacky ground at Cheltenham.

I will probably back State Of Play e/w, he comes into the race fresher than most and the form of the Hennesy was given a boost in the William Hill handicap on Tuesday with Juvignor carrying a big weight only just to be denied on the line.

Badass.....

did it easy enough on Friday. perhaps not as impressive as his other wins this year, but he got the job done, jumped well and comfortably held exotic and turpin (who my bet at 10-1 to be placed on Betfair wasn't matched!!!).Onward and upwards I hope. I suppose if there is a bad omen, it is that the last three Gold Cup winners before KS (Best Mate, Kicking King and War of Attrition) never even made it back to try to defend their crown.. Let's hope he gets there next year in one piece, in the same form and ready for a mouthwatering race with him, Denman, Star de Mohaison and Neptune Collonges. Nicholls 1-2-3-4...

Kauto Star has been the outstanding chaser of the season and it's fitting he should cap it with a success in the Gold Cup, bringing with it the £1m bonus from Betfair, having also won the Lancashire Chase and the King George, and certain success in the Order of Merit. In terms of form this ranks as one of his least outstanding performances of his 6-race unbeaten run though it will have gone a long way towards silencing his doubters, Kauto Star again jumping well until the final fence, whilst he put his stamp on a muddling race most impressively when manoeuvred wide off the home turn, holding the runner-up in briefly; his best form is only a little in front of fellow tip-top Gold Cup winners Kicking King and Master Oats and still short of Desert Orchid's, though he's barely been extended as he's won Grade 1s at trips ranging from 2m (beat Champion Chase winner Voy Por Ustedes) to 3¼m, and, with time still very much on his side, he's still likely to prove himself a truly exceptional talent if ever he faces one nearly as good.

Harry, would it be a concern to you that seeing he is french bred, he might have reached his peak already or is close to it.. horses like First Gold seemed to have the world at their feet at an early age but never quite built on that promise.. You also have the likes of Edredon Bleu who was still winning top races at 12, but considering KS was so good this year, can you see the possibility of him struggling to reach the same highs next year?? I certainly hope he is around for a long time to come. At 7, he could conceivably run in the next 3 Gold Cups as a major contender..

Do you know where I can get a video of his last race. They had on
TVG and I missed it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN_q5...elated&search=

that has commentary in English at least...

Thanks a lot for the great video, some great camera angles.
The last two fences were a little eventful with the loose
horse and not jumping cleanly over the last. Do you how big
was the crowd at Cheltenham? What's next for the great
Kauto Star.

Thanks Mike

around 60k each day for the festival.. feels like more... prob about an 85-15 ratio male/female.. The camera angles for the 4th and 3rd last are superb. They're are the ones where it just looks over the fence and slowly the jockeys come into shot, then the horses.. brilliant..

He wont run again this season, but he's had a hard season for a gold cup winner, 6 runs.. will come back next year, hopefully in the same form and have a similar campaign.

I wish there was more jump races here in the states. Every year I try
to go to the Hunt meetings in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia

yeah, its strange.. I liked seeing the chasers (well hurdlers) in Saratoga when I was there and it certainly wasnt the most well recieved race that day, thatd for sure...