Star earns right for King George tilt

Many had written off Kauto Star after he was pulled up at Punchestown at the end of last season, having been left chasing Long Run’s shadow on a couple of occasions.

But the 11-year-old silenced any doubters by giving his younger rival a good beating in the Betfair Chase and Nicholls believes he has earned the right to bid for a remarkable fifth win in the King George.

Master Minded has had the three-mile Kempton prize as his primary objective since the start of the campaign and he looked to be right back to his best when winning the Amlin 1965 Chase at Ascot.

“It’s going to make things interesting now,” said the champion trainer yesterday.

“Clive and I will have to sit down and have a good chat and make a bit of a game plan.

“I’m astounded at how well Kauto has come out of Saturday. He’s eaten up (yesterday morning) and he’s as bright as a button.

“When he won the King George a couple of years ago, which was probably his best ever performance, he routed everything and walked into the winner’s enclosure like he had not done anything.

“Last season, for whatever reason, he was finishing tired, but (on Saturday) he was like he was two years ago – you’d hardly know he’d had a race.

“He mystifies me and we’ve got five weeks, so we’ll see. Certainly on yesterday’s run he’s entitled to be back there again.”

Nicholls was delighted to see his veteran silence the doubters on Merseyside and admits it was a day he will never forget.

“It was one of the best days of racing I’ve experienced. The whole event, the emotion and everything about it was just brilliant,” said Nicholls.

“What’s frustrating is all these people who keep saying that Kauto Star should be retired don’t actually know the horse. We at home know him better than anybody and people ought to know by now I wouldn’t take any chances and run him if he wasn’t right.

“He’s been showing so many good signs at home and if he was eight years old he’d be favourite for the King George and the Gold Cup on Saturday’s run as it was one of his best.

“He doesn’t want retiring – he’s a long time retired. You saw the crowd on Saturday and they all want to see him run.

“It was fantastic before the race, during the race and afterwards. Even when he went to Exeter for a racecourse gallop people were there to watch him.

“He loves what he’s doing and it’s so good for racing. He was very fit, we made sure of that. There was no point going there needing the run.

“I’ve always wanted to make the running with him one day, especially round there. We wanted to jump out, go a good gallop, use his stamina, keep jumping and try and get the rest in trouble. He broke the course record doing it.”

While Kauto Star may have been at peak fitness, Nicholls feels there is more improvement in Master Minded. “He needed the run at Aintree and there was huge improvement. He was back on a right-handed track, which he does favour, and he was awesome again (on Saturday),” added Nicholls.

“I think there’s still improvement to come because I’ve said all along I want him at his best for Boxing Day.”

Smith is in the lucky position to own both horses and added: “Both horses have recovered from Saturday’s exertions well and we’re in the process of planning what to do next.

“It was a very exciting day. The crowd at Haydock were fantastic and they appreciate what an unbelievable horse Kauto is.

“He beat Long Run, beat the course record and won his 15th Grade One. He did everything he possibly could on the day.

“It’s possible they could both go to Kempton, but we’ll see how both horses are, have a chat and go from there.”

Thousand Stars made every yard of the running under Ruby Walsh to run out a comfortable winner of the Ladbrokes.com Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown.

The Grade One prize was the intended target of Champion Hurdle-winning stablemate Hurricane Fly and although he was ruled out earlier in the week, the dashing grey Thousand Stars proved an able substitute.

Sent off the well supported 5-4 favourite for his first start since winning the French Champion Hurdle in June, Willie Mullins’s seven-year-old was hurdling fluently out in front and had the strongly fancied Pittoni in trouble from before the turn for home.

Oscars Well loomed up menacingly at the top of the straight but when Walsh asked Thousand Stars to quicken, he soon asserted and he produced a fine leap at the final flight to secure a five-and-a-half length win.

William Hill cut Thousand Stars to 14-1 from 33-1 for the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.