A very emotional day. Just when everybody, including myself, thought he was past his best he puts on a display like this. History will judge this wonderful horse very kindly.
I'm glad i was never one of those only time in his career I never bet on kauto but was not kauto stars fault was 2010 king george every year for 4 years previously I would lump my whole wage on him as my Christmas treat. But that year I did not do him because they put tony McCoy on him and that was a 100% NO NO after he done a crap job with denman at aintree. Just did not bet on any other horse and watched what I knew happen crap ride on kauto star. Year later after bet fred win I put £200 on kauto star ante post 7-1 and on boxing day another £260 and was laughing all the way to the bank. And nice thing is I still have a souvenir thx to kauto bought 50 inch tv in the January sales and I'm watching tv on it now thanks to kauto lol
I've always been a much bigger fan of flat racing than jump racing. But Kauto Star has remained the one horse over the years that has managed to maintain an interest in jump racing!! What a grand horse he's been. I would love to see Kauto Star race on the flat just once in his career in something like the Ascot Gold Cup or the maybe the Prix Du Cadren in France. I'm sure it would take at least a 2-1/2 mile flat race for him to be seen at his best. Long live the king!!
I've watched this race soooooooooo many times, I just love the commentary!!!! I think you can tell that the commentator just doesn't believe that Kauto can do it right until the last fence.......then he almost swallowed his words. For me Kauto was one of the best x
'And Kauto Star is still the king'. The quote that Simon Holt mentioned during commentary on Channel 4 still sticks in my mind. Sums up a phenomenal steeplechaser.
I must say that I'm very impressed at the standard of comments on this video. Normally every RU-vid thread is hijacked by teenage keyboard warriors, but some shrewd insights here. My own tuppence is that the commentary is quite good, I thought he nailed the emotion of the concluding run-in.....I'm a big Kauto fan - but I didn't hear the Ch4 version. That's neither here nor there really. Have to agree that Long Run is still a rock solid fav for the King George. Long live the King!
I've never been nearly as big a fan of jump racing as I am of flat racing. But I am a huge fan of Kauto Star!! Really respect what this horse has accomplished over his career. Just when you think he may be past his prime, he comes up with another big effort!!
Just what I said couple min ago lol first time I watched it again. Love to watch his races but really hurts how a horse who brought so much joy to horse racing was treated afterwards Clive Smith you gonna die one day and most of the racing community wont care 1 bit compared to KAUTO STAR and that's a FACT. R.I.P my friend who always helped me when I was in need. Not joking never used to have alot left after months Bill's and so on but would always put a weeks wage on him though that be my monthly spending money and was always worth it.
this is what racing is all about and this is why jumps will always truimph over the flat. great horses coming back year in year out and putting in performances like this. well done kauto and connections. what a great price he was. i wouldnt have backed long run with stolen money given he was beaten off 158 first time last season.
agree channel4 commentry so much better, but never get tired watching this. what a day it was. the horse of my lifetime for sure, and I pity all how never followed this wonderful wonderful horse. (and even his owners antics can ever ever dim the thrill Kauto has given us!)
I won a fortune on Kauto that day, not often the bookies get it wrong but when they do you have to take advantage. All week Ruby and Paul Nicholls were talking up Kauto yet he still went off at 6s. His jumping that day was imperious.
also, i love in this race at the last fence - both horses put in big leaps but kauto is SO quick to land and get away, whereas long Run lands slightly crooked and takes another stride to get going. The Old King is just awesome
Kauto Star you made that look so easy, win the King George then would be great to see him win the Gold cup at Cheltenham 2012. I will be there to cheer him on again !!!!!!!!
@frconvey true, he has a fighting heart and i reckon eyeballing another contender, namely Long Run, would give him that extra spurt. he's a gritty old boy for sure! Kauto definitely relies these days on his high cruising speed and jumping, he runs the others into the ground but he has lost spectacular his turn of foot i think. like you say, there's been plenty of time for him to rest and look forward to the Gold Cup :D fresh as a daisy he needs to be. only about a month to go - so excited!
Kauto Star was available at 6/1 on the day, although I didnt think he would beat Long Run I stuck £50 on it cos the price was too big . Well overprices for a 15 time group 1 winner.
@999LDS let's not put down the commentator, it's not his fault and his commentary was very good, it's just that Channel 4's commentator was utterly fantastic in the race.. "AND KAUTO STAR, IS STILL THE KING!!"
the KG is shaping up nicely this year.i suspect long run will come on a fair bit from his reappearance at haydock but you can never write off kauto at kempton- he could jump blind folded around the place. master minded has to prove his stamina but i think he should stay and looks like getting his favoured soft ground, although this will place extra emphasis on stamina whilst captain chris' jumping needs to brush up his jumping against the big boys.in conclusion i havent a scooby who will win
@frconvey also i wonder if they'll change his running style again. i think putting him up front would have freshened him up, but like you say he idle's a bit in front and i think he'd prefer to chase someone round. then again, when up front he can dictate his own pace and Ruby is genius at getting that right on him. personally i reckon the first half of the race he should be upfront setting his pace, then he should drop back a little, take a breather before fighting off the others at the finish.
@grinchy01 I dont know. I'm not going to put money on anything in the Gold Cup, I'm just going to watch the race and (hopeflly) enjoy it. I want Kauto Star to win, it would make my year and silence all the doubters but I just don't know if he's still got it in him. He won this easy enough, he ran the King George superbly until he just got tired after the last and Long Run was closing. The extra 1/4 mile wont do Kauto any favours, but I cross my fingers that he'll do it just one more time...
@MrConnolly25 i think i will also have a tentative bet on master minded. obviously the trip is a worry but he has an almost flawless record going right handed and is a class horse. however you could make a case for and against all the leading contenders in this race.
@MrConnolly25 i did have it in the back of my mind that MM might do an azertyuiop. i seem to recall him and kicking king pulling a mile clear in the king george until azertyuiops stamina empited and faded to finish 3rd. in hindsight i think ruby tried to go toe to toe with kicking king that day and azertyuiop could not sustain his effort over 3 miles but i suppose you have to ride them as if they get the trip.
Nobody knows what will hapeen in the future, but one thing is obvious. Long Run can't run like he did in the betfair chase again, against Kauto, or the likelihood is, he will get beaten again...simple as. And who's to say that KS cannot repeat this level of form? ;-)))
@azertyuiop32 Yes i think and thought at the time Azertyuiop was ridden too close to the pace but again your right you have to ride them as if they will stay,i think Kingscliffe came 2nd in that KG could be wrong.It was amazing that KG though as 4 out Azertyuiop looked a certainty to win and maybe im wrong but on his day i'd say Master Minded is the best chaser in training Nicholls has said too that he has trained him specifically for this race.
@azertyuiop32 I think this is a wide open King George and have to agree with you that i have no idea who will win.If Kauto performs like he did in the betfair then Long Run will have to improve quite a lot then we don't know if/or Kauto will improve for it.Captain Chris looks sure to stay and these are not the stiffest fences.Master Minded has to be a doubtful stayer but looks a cert for the 1st 3 if he does,Diamond Harry on form has a chance then theres somersby.i'll go ew MM lol
@kathleenreilly63 Give it up! I don't see how you would know anything about Long Run if you work in a stable in Ireland since Nicky Henderson's team is based in Seven Barrows near Lambourn, Berkshire. Which incase you havn't already realised is in the UK not Ireland.
@frconvey Also there was only 5 weeks between Betfair and KG, not much time for an 11 year old, between KG and gold cup Kauto will be completely fresh :D
@azertyuiop32 Azertyuiop should never have been running in the King George, your right when you say the race bottomed him and he was never the same again. He ran a remarkable race considering he didn't stay the trip. His owner John Hales wanted him to run I don't think Paul Nicholls really wanted to. It's a shame because we were right in the middle of the golden season of 2m chasing with Moscow Flyer, Azerty & Well Chief. The three best 2m chasers I've seen above Master Minded imo
@vixitrixalina was he getting tired in the king george though i mean he looked finished going to the last here and when long run came to him he ran away from him he was ideling in front here so im just thinking if long run got to him n the king george wud he have found more i mean kauto has jumped better and beaten long run twice what does he have to do to convice people he can win a 3rd gold cup
@kathleenreilly63 I think they are trying to get Diamond Harry there a fresh horse but his betfair run leaves him a long way short,they will have to give him a prep run but at the moment his price of 20/1 makes no appeal to me.I see Long run as the 1 to beat Grand Crus is interesting otherwise the race looks wide open and as a whole i think it will end up being a poor renewal.
@MrConnolly25 since the end of the last season the KG has always been MMs aim whereas connections wanted to let kauto star tell them if another KG tilt was on the cards. if MM stays the trip he must have a very good chance but its a big if. with regards to azertyuiops KG, kicking king looked set to win easily until gerraghty nearly unseated after a bad mistake at the last and kingscliffe almost caught him. sadly i think this race bottomed azertyuiop out and he was never the same horse again
Think it will be a lot closer at kempton however neither of them will win the gold cup. Denman beat kauto at cheltenham and yes long run beat denman but long run got a flyer at the last and got the momentum plus the ground was lively enough. Denman having a later start this year and will be trained for the gold cup via the lexus. I think he we will this time.
@azertyuiop32 Totally agree,Master Minded at his age is the 1 to beat if he stays i just hope he doesn't end up doing what Azertyuiop did.A friend of mine has been relentlessly pushing Somersby at me as an ew bet at 14s im not so sure about the horse but he is quite a big hitter and seems convinced it will end up being a messy race and that Somersby may pick up the pieces
im not sure if anyone checked the commentary before the end of this race at 6:04 '' THE HORSE OF A LIFETIME '' its a copy of the commentary at the end of the arc that sea the stars won in 2009. check it out at 2:25 right before he crosses the line too, no offence this commentary is shockingly bad!
i'm by no means an expert on horse racing, but i do have a keen interest in it for the last few years.....it does seem to me though that if long run had even nearly as good a round of jumping as kauto did that it would have been a completely different story. I didn't back anything in the race though i watched it and was cheering for kauto star all the way, still, as much as it pains me to say it, i think long run's poor jumping made kauto look far more superior than he actually is these days???
@kathleenreilly63 Kauto was great,he's for sure 1 of the greatest of all time now but even by beating Long run twice this year he will not beat Long run at cheltenham.Im not a Kauto knocker but even with his 2 gold cups he is better at Kempton,Long run will outstay Kauto up the hill.3miles at Kempton is not the same as 3m2f at cheltenham Long run was much closer this time and was staying on towards the end after being outpaced,we saw last year that the hill is long runs friend
Tell me now he isn't the greatest. In the words of Muhammad Ali "All you chumps are gonna bow, when I whoop him, all of ya. I know you got him, I know you got him picked but the man's in trouble, I'm gonna show you how great I am!!!!" . Kauto Star is most definately "the greatest" :D
@kathleenreilly63 I don't believe for one second that you're part of Long Run's "industry". I reckon you said the exact same thing last year when Long Run finished 3rd and what happened after that? Most horses need a run to shake the cobwebs and Long Run is no different. He'll be a different horse come the King George and the Gold Cup, Guarantee it...
Kauto star is a legend. long run is the better horse now but in kautos prime he was twice the horse long run will ever be. i think the waley-cohen family need to drop there son has long runs jockey. barry geraghty is a much more better jockey than that amatuer he would of got long run up to beat kauto guranteed
the bookies are hyping up the king george to be about kauto star and long run as expected. neither of them will win it will be master minded. hes being stepped up by half a mile for 1st time which will suit and coming into form at the perfect time, also an 8 year old which is a good age. having kauto in the same stable as master minded is another plus. 5/1 get on him, forget about long run he cant jump at the moment! waste of drinking money on boxing day!!
