beaker1 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 taken from sporting life Paul Nicholls has confirmed that Kauto Star, the five-time King George VI Chase winner, has been retired after a remarkable career. The end of an era has finally arrived. Clive (Smith) was here this morning and we have taken the decision to retire Kauto Star. "We have had nine superb years with the horse but, after seeing him in his work these past few weeks, myself, Clifford and Dan were of the opinion that the time had arrived to retire him. "Of course, as owner, the final decision rested with Clive, but he agreed that the horse had done enough. "Don't get me wrong, Kauto looks and feels as vibrant as ever, as those who saw him at our owners' Open Day last month would testify to. He was mad fresh that day and continues to be as alert as ever and very, very well in himself. But I suspect Kauto will be like that when he is 20 years old. "And, deep down, we know he has done enough - and in some ways I think we have to protect him from himself. And maybe ourselves, too. If he did go to Kempton and win or run well, would you really want to run him - or be able to resist the temptation - in the Gold Cup? "I am not so sure. "Kauto is signing off in full health and after a season in which he proved so many people wrong by winning a fifth King George and a fourth Betfair Chase, to add to his two Cheltenham Gold Cups and Tingle Creeks." Kauto Star has been a remarkable servant to connections and the best chaser seen in Britain for many years. His list of achievements include becoming the first horse to regain the Cheltenham Gold Cup crown. The jockey most synonymous with Kauto Star was Ruby Walsh, who partnered the French import to 17 victories, including his Gold Cup triumphs and his five wins in the King George. He said: "He's the horse of my lifetime. I'm very lucky to be the one who got to ride him. "He was an incredible horse from the beginning, from when he won his novice chase in Newbury all the way to his fifth King George. "He's got me to places I didn't think I'd ever be. He was just an incredible horse. "A couple of Gold Cups, Betfair Chases, five King Georges, Tingle Creeks - he did everything. "He was an amazing horse to ride and an amazing horse to be part of and I loved every minute of riding him. "I remember going to Newbury to ride him (on his first run in Britain) and thinking, 'This is half an Arkle'. "Paul said he was a nice horse and he came down the straight with his head in his chest. "I had so much horse underneath me and from that day I was in love with him. "He had a few knocks and a few setbacks but he was always an exceptional horse and a tough horse. "He came back from hard races and heavy falls. He just kept coming back and getting back up to Grade One level again. "He was a little indecisive (when jumping), so you always then had to be decisive. "I have some amazing memories, so many good days. "He was a wonderful horse to be riding and a wonderful horse to have in yourlife," he told Racing UK. happy retirement old boy a legend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy2shoes Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Class act he will be missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidymac Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Correct decision, he has to prove nothing. Legend of a horse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santos_ Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Agree with the decision I admit I was one of those calling for him to be retired before last season and was proved wrong but now seems a good time. What a legend Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
who?me? Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Glad they've made what I think is the right decision. Was at Sandown when he won his first Tingle Creek and at Kempton last year when he won his fifth King George. Finally was at Cheltenham this year for what was his final race - will never forget the applause from the crowd when he came back in. The race was forgotten for a few moments as everyone saluted a great racehorse. Wonder what he'll do in his retirement - will he be retrained as a team chaser and hunter like Denman? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodie Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Xmas will never be the same again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterbet5 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired shame he cant go for a one more king george or a betfair chase but hes been a true star and the horse that got me into racing hes a true legend loved by all and will be sorley missed , retire happy old boy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyHills Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Correct decision' date=' he has to prove nothing. Legend of a horse.[/quote'] Agree, Glad to see him retired now:clap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowles10 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Superb horse and around for a few years so we all saw what it and the trainer could do note this though, you wont see any more Clive Smith horses trained by Nicholls though as this ends thier partnership for good i feel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
who?me? Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired note this though, you wont see any more Clive Smith horses trained by Nicholls though as this ends thier partnership for good i feel Interested in your comment. Not saying you're wrong but just wondered why you think this. It's obviously the end of an era but presumably there's more behind your comment? Don't know what horses Clive Smith has nowadays. Last year he had Kauto Star, now retired, Master Minded who was injured in the King George and Free World who he doesn't own anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowles10 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Interested in your comment. Not saying you're wrong but just wondered why you think this. It's obviously the end of an era but presumably there's more behind your comment? Don't know what horses Clive Smith has nowadays. Last year he had Kauto Star, now retired, Master Minded who was injured in the King George and Free World who he doesn't own anymore. Free World was taken to Arthur Moore's stable before the start of last season and was still owned by Clive. It came over for the Festival and fell in the GRand Annual i think. I am not aware he doesnt own that one anymore Clive is involved in the Betfair Timeform RAcing club which Rio one of our members is heavily involved in and follows the horses around the country. Master Minded may not ever see a racecourse again I dont think Clive has any other horses with Nicholls and some shrewd purchases made over recent years did not go to Clive, so i doubt he will have any others The reason Clive teamed up with PN originally was that Pipe let him down badly in buying some expensive horses and struggling with them. There were a couple of decent flat horses that Pipe was trying to make into top class hurdlers but it didnt happen Anthony Bromley offered up Kauto to Clive and it didnt come cheap at £400k some 9 years ago!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erhaab1965 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Fantastic horse , bit disappointed they didn't go for the decent handicaps like the Henessey , Welsh / Grand National , Whitbread . He could have been still competitive in the top chases or the Fox Hunter races at Cheltenham and Aintree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowles10 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Fantastic horse , bit disappointed they didn't go for the decent handicaps like the Henessey , Welsh / Grand National , Whitbread . He could have been still competitive in the top chases or the Fox Hunter races at Cheltenham and Aintree. no point really, 12yo now just no point in pushing the horse any more The whitbread would have been a great swansong on decent ground round Sandown, would piss home giving lumps of weight away off 12st 0lb but ............ as that race falls in April after Cheltenham, just never on the agenda I am glad we are retiring the horse before it suffers any form of serious injury. On parade on Boxing day it will get a great cheer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyHills Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Fantastic horse , bit disappointed they didn't go for the decent handicaps like the Henessey , Welsh / Grand National , Whitbread . He could have been still competitive in the top chases or the Fox Hunter races at Cheltenham and Aintree. Oh dear, why am i not surprised about this post. Erhaab, i dont know your background at all but have you ever been close to horses? Ever visited a racing yard, got to know how much these animals are looked after, ever been to the races and saw the face of a stable lass or lad when a horse falls? See the passion and the worry on the connections faces every single time they run and how much they mean to decent ordinary people. The pressure for everyone gets bigger the better the horse is and Kauto Star has been around for many years unlike some flat horses that get sent off to the paddocks after a couple of seasons. He has nothing to prove to anyone and what would it be like if he fell exhausted carrying 12st at Newbury or the flipping National for gods sake. He doesnt exist for people to play fantasy horse racing like you seem to want to do, how can anyone be disappointed in the decision if they really cared about the horses. Maybe its too personal for me, as you may know i take photos of these magnificent creatures and not all of the best ones either, while connections are celebrating in the winners enclosure i often go down to where the also rans get unsaddled if i need a particular shot and to the place the fallers return too, the waiting connections are terrified as the animal comes back, these people really love their horses, they know the risks involved and accept them like good sporting people do. Kauto Star has done enough and all involved can now enjoy a pressure free life after 8 years of being in training, i was at Cheltenham last march when he pulled up and that was a race too far, an accident waiting to happen and happily they have avoided it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erhaab1965 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Whats wrong with stating that I would have liked to see Kauto Star race in handicaps ? Obviously I meant in his peak a few years ago , it could have established the horse as one of the greats . As for saying that he could still win races , whats wrong with that ? I know you remember See More Business a Gold Cup regular , who preceded Kauto Star incidently also trained by PN , I'm pretty sure he ran a decent Gold Cup coming 3rd at 50/1 at the age of 12 or 13. Before See More B' was Dorans Pride which I know you will also remember who was a Cheltenham Festival regular winning the Stayers Hurdle ( World Hurdle ) being favorite a few times in the Gold Cup without winning and even raced in the Fox Hunters at the age of 14 !! I don't see what the fuss is about racing horses at 12 or beyond , nobody wants to see horses injured and Kauto has developed into a decent jumper so why do members use risk of injury a reason not to race on ? SMB and DP had their loyal fans and loving owners , surely they can't be accused of animal cruelty like some forum members accused me of when I said it was disappointing Camalot didn't go for the Arc. I'm sure younger members will remember a horse called The Tatling who at his peak won many Group races under top jockey Daryll Holland and almost winning some Gr1s like the L'abbaye , this horse raced until a couple weeks before his 15th birthday !! I'm sure the vast majority of horses in training recieve the excellent treatment , love and care , The Tatling no exceptions despite regressing to a mark in the 50s. Before The Tatling was a Dancing Mystery ,rated over 100 at his peak and regressed to a mark of around 50 at the age of 14 and roughly 150 races. Kauto Star and Camelot are the only two horses I'd have liked to see tackle different routes just to see how great they are , but saying that doesn't mean I am condeming them to a life of injury / fatality as my examples show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erhaab1965 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Without being sentimental , a horse is a horse . What factors determine whether a horse has earned retirement ? Does winning a huge pot of money and multiple Gold trophies for the owner make it more of a reason to retire ? What if I owned a 180 rated chaser which has won many times and a 100 rated chaser which I am losing money on , they are both the same age and both run the same amount of times , does the 180 rated horse deserve retirement over the 100 rated horse ? I think some reasons for retirement are based on factors other than the actual horse . They can be for breeding purposes which benefits the owners pocket or simply to prevent a horses form figures from getting worse like this years 1000 Guineas winner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Saint Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Kauto Star and Camelot are the only two horses I'd have liked to see tackle different routes just to see how great they are , but saying that doesn't mean I am condeming them to a life of injury / fatality as my examples show. Come on Erhaab... From memory, Kauto ran in Queen Mothers, Tingle Creeks, Peterboro Chases, King George's and Gold Cups. I don't think that in modern racing you can be much more flexible than that. Maybe it's just the case that the owners feel it kinder to the horse citing that he might prefer to fcuk about running round a field, enjoying retirement to an old age, opening Supermarkets rather than risk life and limb... You're not condemning them to a life of injury/fatality but the risks are still there and I for 1 am will be glad not to be watching him jump Fromm behind the sofa this season.... Most likely I'll be on ATR watching sand racing but that's another story! Camelot?!?!? He did run in the Arc and went for the Triple Crown...... :/ You must mean Frankel.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidymac Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Fantastic horse , bit disappointed they didn't go for the decent handicaps like the Henessey , Welsh / Grand National , Whitbread . He could have been still competitive in the top chases or the Fox Hunter races at Cheltenham and Aintree. Are you ever not disappointed Erhaab? You were disappointed with Frankel, now your disappointed with Kauto Star being retired. :eyes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyHills Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Nothing wrong with racing horses at 12 and above, i watch them in the point to point meetings each year. The thing is Kauto Star has been pulled up twice in his last few races, had an injury last season and has nothing to prove. He's racing at the very top class where you cant get away with being 90% and in fact it could be very dangerous to run them in that state and can you imagine the fall out if anything happened to him. I'm afraid running down the field at Garthorpe isnt an option for horses like this, the public would not allow it. Look at Denman, he's being trained to go team-chasing, see my facebook page for details, there is life after racing that these animals can do well after retiring without the glare of the world upon them, yes they could still get injured but they are not being trained to the same degree and are happy to do it at a more leisurely pace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erhaab1965 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Totally agree with everything that has been said, not disappointed he has been retired but the fact they avoided the major handicaps when he was at his peak, ,it could have established him as one of the greats. Yes I did mean Frankel, it was late last night and I had a glass of wine too many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erhaab1965 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired I know Kauto Star was pulled up twice recently but they were more of a precautionary measure than any injury. He was always going to be pulled up if anything felt wrong or his chance had gone. Much the same with when Istabraaq was pulled up in his final race, it was always a case of a win or nothing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aidymac Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Totally agree with everything that has been said' date=' not disappointed he has been retired but the fact they avoided the major handicaps when he was at his peak, ,[b']it could have established him as one of the greats. Yes I did mean Frankel, it was late last night and I had a glass of wine too many. So you reckon Kauto Star is not one of the greats of the national hunt? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Saint Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Fully prepared to be corrected but In the modern era, apart from Denman, I can't really recall any really top class horses going for hcap races... One Man won the Hennessey I think but that was on his way up... I remember Oh So Risky carrying a ridiculous weight round in the Tote Gold Trophy too. Finished 2nd I think and them got turned over again by Flakey Dove in the Champion Hurdle.... I just don't think it's the done thing anymore.... Oh - and Dessie of course.... Just before my time of being seriously interested tho... I suppose that hcaps are, rightly or wrongly, not as prestigious as the graded and/or Championship events.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
who?me? Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Nothing wrong with racing horses at 12 and above, i watch them in the point to point meetings each year. The thing is Kauto Star has been pulled up twice in his last few races, had an injury last season and has nothing to prove. He's racing at the very top class where you cant get away with being 90% and in fact it could be very dangerous to run them in that state and can you imagine the fall out if anything happened to him. I'm afraid running down the field at Garthorpe isnt an option for horses like this, the public would not allow it. Look at Denman, he's being trained to go team-chasing, see my facebook page for details, there is life after racing that these animals can do well after retiring without the glare of the world upon them, yes they could still get injured but they are not being trained to the same degree and are happy to do it at a more leisurely pace. Do agree with your comment about the fall-out that would have occurred if anything had happened to Kauto Star on the racecourse. There has been so much negative publicity in the past couple of years following the Grand National - really don't need any more. As regards Kauto Star's future, they're obviously in the middle of planning that - Clive Smith has said that Kauto wouldn't be left in a field and he didn't want him to just be a hack. There are quite a few different options available so it'll be interesting to see what he does do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowles10 Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Do agree with your comment about the fall-out that would have occurred if anything had happened to Kauto Star on the racecourse. There has been so much negative publicity in the past couple of years following the Grand National - really don't need any more. As regards Kauto Star's future, they're obviously in the middle of planning that - Clive Smith has said that Kauto wouldn't be left in a field and he didn't want him to just be a hack. There are quite a few different options available so it'll be interesting to see what he does do. Reminds me of when dessie retired They then paraded it before the king George etc and I think kauto can do a lot for racings image Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
who?me? Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Free World was taken to Arthur Moore's stable before the start of last season and was still owned by Clive. It came over for the Festival and fell in the GRand Annual i think. I am not aware he doesnt own that one anymore Clive is involved in the Betfair Timeform RAcing club which Rio one of our members is heavily involved in and follows the horses around the country. Master Minded may not ever see a racecourse again I dont think Clive has any other horses with Nicholls and some shrewd purchases made over recent years did not go to Clive, so i doubt he will have any others The reason Clive teamed up with PN originally was that Pipe let him down badly in buying some expensive horses and struggling with them. There were a couple of decent flat horses that Pipe was trying to make into top class hurdlers but it didnt happen Anthony Bromley offered up Kauto to Clive and it didnt come cheap at £400k some 9 years ago!! I knew that Arthur Moore trained Free World now and I'm wrong about Clive Smith not owning Free World anymore - many apologies for that. Don't why I had that thought in my head. I knew about Clive's involvement in the Betfair Timeform Racing Club - I enjoy reading Rio's Diary with all the ups and downs he's gone through over the years. Shame about Master Minded and agree he probably won't see a racecourse again. I didn't know the reason why Clive originally teamed up with PN which was very interesting - thanks for that info. I knew how much was paid for Kauto but was reading today about the actual sale. There was a lot of interest in Kauto as he had just won a race in his native France so they had to act fast if they were going to get him. A private sale and the horse was not checked over by the vet as the existing owner was not available for permission to be given for this to be done. Anthony Bromley must have been pleased/relieved that it all worked out well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
who?me? Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Reminds me of when dessie retired They then paraded it before the king George etc and I think kauto can do a lot for racings image He's going to be paraded at Haydock before the Betfair Chase and at Kempton before the King George. I always enjoy seeing the parades of horses - at Cheltenham this year they had a parade of previous Cheltenham Festival winners being ridden by their new owners and we were told what each horse was now doing. I saw Dessie several times and I also remember seeing Red Rum paraded at Aintree in 1978 before the Grand National - it was great to see him. I also enjoyed the parade of the present top NH horses at Sandown earlier this year which also included Kauto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BKI Punter Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Fantastic horse, obviously a very well deserved retirement. Why people continue to enterain Erhaab, I'll never know. The days of having to give 45st and a beating in handicaps to establish yourself in the pecking order of greats is long gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erhaab1965 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Re: kauto star retired Why people continue to enterain Erhaab, I'll never know. The days of having to give 45st and a beating in handicaps to establish yourself in the pecking order of greats is long gone. Are you suggesting I am a nutter who doesn't have a clue about the sport? I'm not sure if you're old enough to remember a horse called Denman but this was a Gold Cup winner who would the Hennessy twice and placed once, the last two attempts off a Gold Cup winning mark! Top weight is normally around 12st, nothing like what you are suggesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowles10 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Re: kauto star retired I knew that Arthur Moore trained Free World now and I'm wrong about Clive Smith not owning Free World anymore - many apologies for that. Don't why I had that thought in my head. I knew about Clive's involvement in the Betfair Timeform Racing Club - I enjoy reading Rio's Diary with all the ups and downs he's gone through over the years. Shame about Master Minded and agree he probably won't see a racecourse again. I didn't know the reason why Clive originally teamed up with PN which was very interesting - thanks for that info. I knew how much was paid for Kauto but was reading today about the actual sale. There was a lot of interest in Kauto as he had just won a race in his native France so they had to act fast if they were going to get him. A private sale and the horse was not checked over by the vet as the existing owner was not available for permission to be given for this to be done. Anthony Bromley must have been pleased/relieved that it all worked out well. I think you could make a film about Kauto Star, perhaps i will suggest it to the owner! The reason i know a bit is that my dad is friends with the owner and although i get info 2nd hand, it is not always correct (as per my comment on KG last year about the horse not running!, albeit that is what they felt at the time until nearer the race) Clive bought the local golf club to me about 15 years ago, which is why they know each other and in 2002, they owned a horse together named Clarendon which they bought from the flat to go over hurdles,and subsequently fences. The horse ended up as favourite for the lanzarote at Kempton on shocking ground and then went chasing. It did ok but suffered injuries when falling and never really recovered so they sold it to someone to look after it. It even ran against Old Vic in its early days. I've met Clive on a few occasions at the races and he is a really nice bloke. he is worth a few quid though and lives on the Wentworth estate. I don't pretend to know all about the Nicholls situation but it seems to be the opinion that he won't be having any more horses with him. As an aside, Nicholls team really fancy Al Ferof for the KG this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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