King in ‘grand order’
The 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero was only beaten a length and a quarter by a match-fit Nickname in the Normans Grove Chase after trying to make all the running.
The 10-year-old had been sidelined with a tendon injury since recording back-to-back victories in the King George VI Chase in December 2005.
“He’s super, thank God. He’s come out of the race with no problems,” said Taaffe. “We were happy with him. It was a good performance.”
A return to Gowran for the Red Mills Chase on February 16 or the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown six days earlier is now on the cards for Kicking King, before he tries to regain his Gold Cup crown on March 14 – a race for which he is a best-priced 16-1.
“He’ll go for the Hennessy or the Red Mills. We’ll decide in about 10 days’ time,” confirmed Straffan-based Taaffe.
Meanwhile connections are confident Exotic Dancer will be able to take his place in the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup despite last year’s runner-up suffering a setback.
The eight-year-old, trained by Jonjo O’Neill, has been found to have pulled a ligament in his back.
Although the injury has caused him to miss Saturday’s Letheby And Christopher Chase at Cheltenham, which he won 12 months ago, it is reported to be only a minor problem.
“The vet at Jonjo O’Neill’s has found that Exotic Dancer has pulled a ligament in his back,” Barry Simpson, racing manager to owner Sir Robert Ogden, said yesterday.
“This has caused some bleeding which formed a haematoma. This subsequently put pressure on a nerve which caused him to be so sore. The good news is that this is a relatively minor problem and will not hinder his prospects of running in the Gold Cup.”
