Kicking King’s comeback second thrills connections

KICKING KING may have only finished second behind Nickname in yesterday’s Normans Grove Chase at Gowran Park, but this was a spectacular comeback.

Off the track since winning his second King George at Sandown in December of 2005, the ten-year-old and former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner stripped fit and well and, all credit to Tom Taaffe, looked as if he had never been away.

He set off in front for Barry Geraghty and his jumping was fast and accurate. The only mistake Kicking King made was when ploughing through the penultimate obstacle and, you could realistically argue, would have won but for that.