Paul Nicholls’s Kauto Star seems to be in extremely good shape and ready to compete in the Cheltenham Festival
Kauto Star has been in good shape and his trainer Paul Nicholls is extremely delighted with his performance. The world renowned trainer has been training the 12-year-old gelding since 2004, and has led him to a significant number of victories.
Under his training, the son of Village Star, out of mare Kauto Relka, has shown remarkable progression. He secured two consecutive first place finishes and is looking to complete his hat-trick in the third one.
His victory against Long Run earned him the respect that he deserves. Long Run the race favourite was defeated by a wide margin of 8 lengths, in the Grade 1 Betfair Chase (registered as the Lancashire Chase) on 19th November, 2011, at Haydock.
His outstanding performance continued as he defeated Long Run, trained by Nicky Henderson, for the second time. This time Long Run enjoyed the status of being race favourite, but he was no match for Kauto Star’s speed and agility. He lost by a distance of
1 length and a ¼ in the Grade 1 William Hill King George VI, at Kempton, on 26th December, 2011.
The gelding’s age is not a significant factor as his performances are often much better than younger competitors.
Since he is performing well in his practice runs, he is one of the top contenders for the Cheltenham Festival. He is a subject of keen interest to the bookmakers and punters because of his recent performances.
With the Cheltenham Festival just around the corner, Nicholls is particularly happy with his workouts. His runner’s good shape has removed all doubts about the runner’s form and health.
He told the press that “There was a time when I didn't think we'd make it and I considered taking the easy option and not running him but I'm glad I didn't as he's responded so well to everyone's hard work.”
The Cheltenham Festival is scheduled to begin on 13th March, 2012 and end on the 16th March, 2012. With less than a week left in this prestigious event, it is imperative that the gelding is well-rested if he is to compete in the festival.
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