Harrington in no rush with Flyer decision
After Moscow Flyer won a thrilling William Hill Tingle Creek Chase on Saturday, she refused to make a commitment as to whether her charge would take the step up to three miles or stay at two for an alternative Christmas engagement at Leopardstown.
“I’ve had some thoughts about Kempton, but there are still lots of decisions to make,” she said yesterday.
“One of the main factors will be the ground, as I wouldn’t want it to be any softer than good.
“Funnily enough, if he’d got beaten on Saturday it would definitely have been an easier decision to make as we’d have nothing to lose by stepping up to three miles.
“But you could say that we still have nothing to lose anyway.”
Moscow Flyer is the 9-2 second-favourite behind Kicking King in ante-post betting for the race with Stan James.
If the two-mile star is given the go-ahead for Kempton, it will provide a major dilemma for jockey Barry Geraghty, who also rides Kicking King.
But Harrington seemed confident today that Geraghty would ride her horse instead of Sunday’s John Durkan Memorial Chase winner.
This is despite the fact that the jockey’s official sponsor is Kicking King’s owner Clarkson.
“I would say he’ll stay with mine,” she said. “I don’t think he’s likely to go jumping off unless we have a disagreement between now and Christmas.”
Looking back to Saturday’s victory, Harrington was still on an understandable high over the achievement of Moscow Flyer in putting the likes of Azertyuiop and Well Chief so firmly in their place.
“They were probably the highest-quality horses he had taken on like that,” she said. “They were the best, but I was still pretty sure that he could do it. He ended his sequence of failing to finish on every fourth start, but I always said that really he was a very good jumper. He fell once and took a mother and a father of a fall, but since then it has just been slips and bumps.
“He doesn’t mind jumping upsides other horses either, like some people seem to think.
“He’s just a very easy horse who is such a pleasure to train. That’s why we want to make sure we are doing the right thing if we do decide to run him in the King George.”
Meanwhile Kicking King is none the worse for his exertions at Punchestown on Sunday and it's now all systems go for the King George. That was the message from trainer Tom Taaffe yesterday as the Kempton race sponsors, bookmakers Stan James, cut the six-year-old from 6-1 to 4-1 for the prestigious prize.
The race was won twice by Taaffe's father Pat as a trainer with Captain Christy, and he also won it as a rider aboard the brilliant Arkle.
Taaffe is confident Kicking King possesses all the necessary qualities which would enable him to get his name on to the roll of honour. “He's had his breakfast this morning and, touch wood, he's absolutely perfect,” the trainer reported of his John Durkan Memorial Chase winner.
“He'll probably travel to Kempton on Christmas Eve as ideally I'd like him to be there and settled in on Christmas morning.
“Shane Moloney, my travelling head lad, will go over and look after him.”
After Kempton and a late winter holiday, Cheltenham and the totesport Gold Cup will probably be next on the agenda.
But alternative entries are also likely to be made for Kicking King in the two-mile Queen Mother Champion Chase and the new two-and-a-half-mile Daily Telegraph Chase.
“I think he will stay three and a quarter miles,” Taaffe said of the Gold Cup plan. “But '05 or '06 - that is the question.
“What happens at Kempton is going to tell us more, but if the ground is genuine good ground then I'd love to run him in the Gold Cup.
“Beef Or Salmon has to prove himself again a bit after yesterday and Best Mate is there to be shot at in many ways.
“We'll make our minds up for sure nearer the time.”
Taaffe also revealed that an undisclosed offer had already been made to purchase Kicking King.
“I've had one call but the answer was 'have a nice day',” he said.
“The horse's owner, Conor Clarkson is, fortunately, not short of a bob or two and Kicking King's not for sale.”
