Greatly disappointed by Kauto Star’s moderate display at Aintree
It was his first outing of the campaign, he was conceding the smart Monet’s Garden a stone and probably needs three miles at this stage.
But taking all of that into consideration it was still, at least to my eyes, a moderate display - by this horse’s huge standards.
The Racing Post is now in the habit of asking a number of experts what they think of a particular performance and Kauto Star was the focus of attention in Tuesday’s paper.
It is always interesting to read other people’s views and, I must say, found myself in total agreement with Tom Segal, who is Pricewise in the Post.
This is part of what Segal said: “Maybe it was the tacky ground, but he was beaten after about five fences and I’d bet anything Ruby Walsh was disappointed with him.”
That’s what was so surprising about Kauto Star, his inability to travel like the steam engine we have come to expect.
We are aware he’s capable of making the odd horrendous blunder, but his almost frightening cruising speed has never been in question.
As Segal pointed out, after about five fences Kauto Star was being scrubbed along by Walsh and never appeared happy.
Anyone who has studied the manner in which Walsh rides will know that his hands and arms stay still for most of a race.
If you’ve backed a horse he’s on then you just do not want to see those parts of his body in motion. When they start to move then it is generally at the tail-end of a contest and a case of all or nothing now.
At Aintree, Kauto Star never allowed his pilot to ride the type of race he wanted. Walsh was well animated a long way from home and the fact that Kauto Star was able to get so close to Monet’s Garden in the end was testament to the horse’s courage rather than anything else.
It might be an extraordinary thing to say, but Kauto Star ran almost as if he wanted blinkers. Of course, it is far too early to be drawing and sort of conclusions, but there’s plenty of food for thought all the same.
The bookmakers hardly reacted and Kauto Star remains a very tight price for the Gold Cup. At around the 2-1 mark, right now, you’d have to say he’s a lay.
Segal says he’d bet Walsh was disappointed with the horse. I think we are all just bursting to find that out.
Delightfully, I’m sure he will tell us precisely what he made of it all in his column in this paper on Saturday.
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IT was dreadful the manner in which George Washington lost his life at Monmouth Park on Saturday and it was a terrible ending to a meeting which left one seriously underwhelmed.
Was this the most boring Breeders’ Cup in history? Watched it all on ATR and, despite Matt Chapman’s best efforts, found it a struggle to stay awake.
The dirt track was in an appalling condition and to see high-class horses sloshing their way through mud was especially unedifying.
Dundalk, even in the fog, would have been more exciting-and that’s saying something!
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LOVE the shape of the two-day meeting at Down Royal tomorrow and Saturday. It will be smashing to see Paul Nicholls’ Taranis in action in Saturday’s James Nicholson and he will surely go off favourite.
Also on Saturday we will have the Killultagh Properties Chase, which has attracted the likes of Alexander Taipan, Knight Legend, One Cool Cookie and Snowy Morning, runner-up behind Denman in the SunAlliance at Cheltenham.
On Friday the Grade 3 Anglo Irish Bank Hurdle has the makings of another cracker. It has 16 entries, among them Galway Hurdle hero, Farmer Brown, as well as Ebaziyan, Aitmatov and Sizing Europe.
Sizing Europe, currently rated 16lbs inferior to Farmer Brown, is the one to which I am most looking forward.
Smelling salts were required for this observer after he fell two out, when in front, on his seasonal reappearance at Punchestown.
