Gold Cup hero King bows out

KICKING KING, winner of the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup, can look forward to a long and happy retirement after connections called time on his glittering career yesterday.

Now a 10-year-old, he had been nursed back into action last season following a serious tendon injury and hopes were high he had retained his ability following an encouraging return after a 759-day absence.

However, in four subsequent starts the Tom Taaffe’s dual King George VI Chase hero failed to show his old sparkle, and now bows out.

Taaffe was quick to pay tribute to his stable star.

“I think he was a great ambassador for racing and for ourselves. It’s great he’s retired in one piece and that he’s going to enjoy some ridden show classes next summer,” the County Kildare trainer said.

“The Cheltenham Gold Cup is obviously the highlight, there’s no doubt about that, but he’s given us some great moments along the way.

“He was second in the Supreme Novices’ and the Arkle, and then he matured to go on to win his first King George, the Gold Cup then come back and win the King George again before things went wrong.

“It’s just great that he’s finished in one piece.”

Owner Conor Clarkson said: “It’s not really a sad day, Kicking King was a wonderful chaser to have had.

“On looking back over his racing career you realise what an amazing racehorse he was. I suppose it’s a little bit sad his racing career is over, but he can now look forward to a happy retirement.”

Kicking King won 12 of his 28 races winning over £800,000 in prize money, including a Leopardstown bumper by four lengths on his debut.

“We always felt he was a very good horse as a youngster, prior to racing, but the performance in his bumper at Leopardstown showed us he was well above average,” Clarkson told At The Races.

“A few people told us after that race that he looked like a potential superstar and thankfully he grew into that.

“Tom did amazingly well with him, he picked him out as a foal and it takes a particularly good eye to pick them out at that age and then bring them to the racecourse. Words cannot express my gratitude to him.

“I suppose you have to say that the Cheltenham Gold Cup has to be the highlight because it is the blue riband of chasing, but I have so many great memories.

“The homecoming at Punchestown, if you can call it that, after winning the Gold Cup, was a truly special moment.

“We had decided that he wasn’t as good as he was but he was exceptionally brave and the third horse from his last race, Watson Lake, was beaten a distance but then came out and won a Grade Three so he was still extremely gifted. In our view he just wasn’t up to competing in Grade Ones anymore and we took the decision to retire him.”

Barry Geraghty, who was in the plate in all his 26 races over obstacles, rates Kicking King along with Moscow Flyer as the two “classiest” horses he has ever ridden.

He said: “He was brilliant. It’s hard to see him retiring. He might not have been as good as he was but he was still something special when he was jumping fences.

“The highlights for me would have to be the Gold Cup, two King Georges, the Arkle, when he ran a cracker (behind Well Chief), the John Durkan at Punchestown and he won lots of other races.

“Him and Moscow Flyer would definitely be the two classiest horses I’ve ridden. He’s been a good servant.

“I shall miss him but I’m glad he’s retired in one piece.”