Kauto and Commander on same performance mark

KAUTO STAR and Imperial Commander have been awarded a joint-performance figure of 174 following their thrilling battle in last Saturday’s Betfair Chase.

The British Horseracing Authority’s head of handicapping Phil Smith felt the pair, trained by Paul Nicholls and Nigel Twiston-Davies, deserved the same mark after being separated by just a nose.

Smith said: “In circumstances like this, I often use historical context as a way of assessing horses against the top chasers from the recent past.