Once-proud champion losing battle with Father Time

IT’S never easy watching a once-proud champion lose race after race against Father Time and the campaign for Kauto Star to be put out to pasture resurfaced yesterday as soon as Ruby Walsh pulled the eleven-year old from the Guinness Gold Cup.

Paul Nicholl’s raider jumped sublimely but had faded towards the back of the field with four fences still to be negotiated when Walsh pulled his reins to the right. As a gesture it recalled Roberto Duran’s famous ‘No mas’ all those years ago.

“As I said before the race, as long as he came back safe and sound I didn’t care where he finished and after three or four (fences) it was obvious where he was going to finish,” said Nicholls. “Ruby was always going to pull him up then and he just didn’t run his race.”