PAUL NICHOLLS IS STILL AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME

Trainer Paul Nicholls is pulling out big names for Sandown's Tingle Creek Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

With wonder horses Kauto Star and Denman now retired, stablemates of the two racing legends have been passed the baton that will take them to glory.

Sanctuaire, the highest rated novice chaser Nicholls has ever trained and remains unbeaten in all three starts over fences, will feature in the Tingle Creek Chase on Saturday December 8.

But despite his success he faces a tough test in his reappearance on the track with unbeaten second-season chaser Sprinter Sacre.

The Tingle Creek attracts the best two mile steeple chasers in the country and often acts as a springboard for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.

Kauto Star is also to make a special appearance at Sandown Park next weekend.

But things haven't stopped there for the trainer. Silviniaco Conti is joint-favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

The six-year-old ridden by top jockey Ruby Walsh is now 5-1jf for racing's biggest event after winning by two-and-a-half-lengths in Haydock's Betfair Chase to make it two wins from a total of two starts this season.

On the day a statue of Kauto Star was unveiled at Haydock, where he won the Betfair Chase four times, it was great to see Silviniaco Conti emerge as a possible superstar.

So Paul Nicholls shows no sign of slowing down and it is wonderful to watch more of his high-rated horses come into racing's spotlight.

Sanctuaire and Silviniaco Conti are just two examples of Nicholls' tremendous work he does for the sport and I have no doubt that the trainer can keep on creating winners in all the years he will remain in racing.

RETIREMENT ENDS KING KAUTO'S REIGN

King Kauto has been retired.

The outstanding chaser, who won two Cheltenham Gold Cups and five King George VIs at Kempton, will always be remembered as one of racing's great horses.

The 12-year-old, trained by Paul Nicholls and owned by Clive Smith, bows out with dignity and pride after a fantastic career.

For me, I have grown up with Kauto Star and when I first started gaining an interest in the sport he was always there in the headlines. I have always admired him so it is a sad sight to see such a wonder put into retirement.

But I think the correct decision has been made. He should be remembered for what he did, not what could have been.

Kauto Star won 16 Grade Ones throughout his career and made history in 2009 for becoming the first horse to reclaim the Gold Cup.

Many believed retirement beckoned when he was pulled up in the Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup last May, but Kauto Star proved the doubters wrong with a fourth triumph on his comeback in the Betfair Chase at Haydock last November, in which he defeated Long Run, the 2011 Gold Cup hero, by eight lengths.

It seemed that Long Run couldn't beat his older rival when losing again to the King after his greatest performance in his career on Boxing Day at Kempton in 2011. Kauto won his fifth King George with ease and cemented his status of one the greatest.

After a fall in schooling and pulling up in this year's Gold Cup, history will remember our star kindly, which he deserves.

As an inspirational and talented horse, Kauto Star follows stablemate Denman as a legend and one that should never be 

forgotten.

 

SHOULD THE CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL AGENDA CHANGE?

How would you feel if the Cheltenham Festival changed its format and had the Gold Cup on a Saturday rather than the Friday? It would arguably be a good move as it would bring more race goers to the course. But right now the agenda is great.

Mind you, I have always found it difficult with having the Gold Cup on a Friday. Not because I think it would be better on a weekend, but because I have always been at school or college. And next year will be the first time I can attend! 

I remember the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup when Denman stormed to victory, beating Kauto Star by a good distance. It so happened that at the time of the race I was in a GCSE history lesson. We were studying about India Independence and our teacher decided to put the film Gandhi on. But learning about that was the least of my worries. I was expecting a call from my Dad at 3.13pm so he could play the race down the phone to me! I kept looking over at the clock waiting for the right time to strike and when it did my hand immediately shot into the air to get my teacher's attention. I asked if I could go to the toilet and with a 'yes' as the response I slipped my phone up my sleeve and made a dash to the door. There was the option of pausing the film when I was gone but I declined, claiming that it wasn't fair on my classmates to do so. 

So there was me standing in the corner of the girl's cloakroom listening to the Gold Cup, ooohhing and aaahhing as well as jumping and shouting when Paul Nicholls' horses battled it out for the title. Goodness knows what people outside must have been thinking... But Denman won and it was a wonderful moment: no doubt my favourite Festival to date. 

However, I really should have caught up with the film and studies as a result. Because when we did a mock GCSE exam on India Independence I was graded an E. It did not go down well when my Mum discovered it was in fact my Dad who allowed me to skip the class and listen to the race!

But anyway, the point I am making is that the Festival already has a great agenda and new boss Ian Renton is correct in saying that a Saturday Gold Cup is currently not a matter to discuss. 

He says he is still in "learning mode" and has given a well deserved tribute to Edward Gillespie who has worked tremendously hard as managing director. 

Renton, who is to succeed Gillespie when he officially steps down next month, will be in charge of a track that attracted over 230,000 people to the Festival last March; a record for the Gloucester course.

Everything is fantastic now than it ever has been before for the track and I for one am incredibly excited to attend The Showcase next week. 

Oh and if you were wondering about my GCSE History grade, I got a B!

KAUTO STAR RETURNS TO YARD BUT SHOULD HE RUN AGAIN?

As the world of Flat racing holds its breath over the where Frankel will run his last race, there is a similar story to be told within National Hunt racing. 

Kauto Star has returned to Paul Nicholls' yard at the same time his stable mate Denman has left for a post-racing career as a team chaser. 

With questions being raised over the horse's future, should the popular 12-year-old return to the track for one last race? 

Kauto Star's previous run in the Cheltenham Gold Cup certainly enlightened these thoughts. Despite a heavy fall in schooling three weeks before the race, Nicholls still decided to enter his champion alongside rival Long Run.

However, it was too much to ask from the two-time Gold Cup champion, as jockey Ruby Walsh pulled  him up before the tenth fence. 

When Walsh finished the popular race that day, the crowd immediately cheered and clapped. It was noise worthy for a winner. 

And that's what I believe Kauto Star is: he is one of NH's finest, similar to how Frankel is to the Flat. 

I admire the ambition and faith Nicholls puts into Kauto Star as he is a wonder to watch. Last season the old race horse stamped his authority on NH racing. He landed a fifth King George VI Chase title at Kempton as well as returning to Haydock in perfect form. But best of all he is now mentioned in the same awe that Desert Orchid always will be.

I believe that Kauto Star has run his last race and we should remember him for the great titles he has already won; not the ones we thought he could. 

It has been an absolute pleasure watching the 12-year-old compete all his life. But for now I think that Kauto Star should follow Denman in a post-racing career. He has been out of the field all summer and despite having time to rest and soak up more energy, Nicholls should hang up his reins.

I agree that having Kauto Star back on the track for another potential win would be fantastic, but I would hate to see him having to be pulled up again.

If the champion did return for another season, he would have to be sure of a win, otherwise it will be difficult to remember him in the same light as we do now. 

But what an outstanding career he has had. Kauto Star and Frankel = two wonders of the sporting world. 

ROYAL ASCOT ENCOURAGES APPRECIATION FOR FLAT RACING

Royal Ascot begins tomorrow, arguably the most exciting flat racing event around, and great horses have already been making headlines across the globe.

Even I am incredibly interested in this year's race meeting, something that hasn't really happened in the past.

I've always been a huge fan of National Hunt racing and it's only since I've had the burning ambition to become a journalist for the sport that I have gained a greater interest in the flat.

Black Caviar is the horse that has made the flat more attractive for me: she hasn't lost a race in 21 starts and her journey from Australia to the UK had me searching her name.

 

She is a very influential mare I must admit. Of course I have always followed horses on the flat but not as regularly as National Hunt.


Big Bucks, Midnight Chase, Denman, Kauto Star, Swincombe Flame, Katchit are all huge names in NH racing that I have grown up with and consequently admired. They're the horses that have encouraged me to go to race meetings and watch them run in the flesh.


But now I want to learn more about the flat, the jockeys and trainers and discover the difference between NH and flat horses; what makes them tick, their training schemes and the obstacles they must overcome to win a race.


I want to encourage all NH lovers to do the same: watch Royal Ascot this week and find a new appreciation for the flat. Don't dismiss the idea, it can arguably be as exciting. You've just got to find a new technique to put your finger on the winner.




Photo take by Jake Owens - Royal Ascot, Gold Cup Race, June 16th 2011. Taken from Flickr

MY VIEW ON OTHER GRAND NATIONAL OPINIONS

Reading through a number of articles about this year's Grand National and people's opinions towards the event has made me realise that professionals and punters in horse racing now have to unite to defend the sport that they love.


Every time I flicker through an article on the deaths of Gold Cup champion Synchronised and According To Pete, I am faced with angry people who know nothing about the sport, claiming that horse racing is cruel and unnecessary.

Photo by Meteorshoweryn (Creative Commons) from Flickr

As a person who has loved and admired the sport from an early age, I believe that now is the best and most important time for jockeys, trainers and owners to unite and defend their decisions that are made in horse racing.

Putting down a horse is a sad thing to happen but sometimes it is necessary: if those who work in the sport can understand the risk (i.e trainers and owners) then why can't other people?

Another absurd idea is to ban The Grand National. The event is the biggest jump race in Europe as the prize money is near £1 million.

Banning the race will therefore put people out of a job and Aintree, as well as Great Britian, will lose its status of being the host of a huge sporting event.

The horses who run in The Grand National spend months enduring training that their owners specifically set.

They are therefore prepared for the four mile race and are not thrown into the challenge without the training that is required.

Yes, I agree that it is upsetting when horses have to be put down as a result of a fractured leg or a broken shoulder but it is the kindest thing to do.

During a race, if a horse does fall and fracture its leg, it has so much adrenaline pumping through its body it cannot feel the pain.

As the fracture cannot be fixed and before the horse can feel the agonising pain, it is put down, a decision that trainers and owners are sometimes faced with.

But then again, they understand the risk and I hate the thought of Synchronised and According To Pete's deaths constantly overshadowing the closest finish ever witnessed.

So here's to a fantastic win by Neptune Collonges - a fantastic horse that has always been living in his stablemates' shadows - Kauto Star and Denman - but has now deservedly won the biggest race of them all.