Kauto Star reaches the new home despite the bombing between the trainer and the owner
The only news that the twelve-year-old retired legend, Kauto Star, could make after the retirement in October this season was to get the Feltham Novices’ Chase renamed after his own name. The headlines that broke in after that were not what the fans of the horse that was spectacular in his nine-year career would have expected. The decision of moving Kauto Star from the Ditcheat yard so that he can be trained as a dressage horse has brought the connections to a point which would change the status to ‘disconnected’.
The champion trainer, Paul Nicholls, had trained the horse for almost a decade now, and wanted him to spend the remaining days in the care of the same team, specially supervised by Clifford. The statements and the set mind map of the trainer for whom the under charge brought the King George title five times, reflects no knowledge whatsoever about any future career plans for the amazing hurdler. However, in his defence, the owner, Clive Smith, stated:
"When Paul rang me I was on the runway heading to New York and he dropped the bombshell."
“Two weeks ago I had a coffee and a chat with Yogi and he suggested dressage and I was very impressed with the idea. Not that either of us thought he'd shown any previous inclination, it was just something new. Yogi suggested Laura Collett who is a European champion and a very good rider.”
"Paul Nicholls has made out he didn't know anything about it, but I've kept him informed since May. We talked about eventing and he knew eventually he would be doing something away from the yard.”
When retiring the twelve-year-old, all knew that the end decision rested with the owner and pretty much the same applied here too. The trainer has repeatedly blamed the owner of the not informing the yard and dropping a disappointment bomb.
Kauto Star, who had brought back the Cheltenham Cup twice, has reached the twenty-two-year-old, Collett, safe and sound.
She is a well known Olympian at the Membury Estate in Wiltshire and has taken up the task to train Kauto Star for his Olympic career.
The rift between the connections will start to fade away once they see their star conquering the new responsibility that he will be bestowed with in the future.
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