Home / Horse Racing / Two Time Cheltenham Gold Cup Champion Makes Winning Return

Kauto Star odds for King George VI shortened after Down Royal win

The superb Kauto Star made a winning return at Down Royal on Saturday with his fourteenth career Grade 1 win, and his odds of further success this season were swiftly shortened by the bookmakers.

The ten-year-old, in his first race since his infamous fall at the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, won the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal. He won by four lengths from Sizing Europe, and it was a satisfying return for the two time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner in what was a solid rather than spectacular performance. Understandably his trainer Paul Nicholls was delighted with the win afterwards and there is talk of Nicholls entering Kauto Star for his next race as early as the Hennessy Gold Cup.

However the race at Newbury might come too soon, especially as news spread that Kauto Star's rider Ruby Walsh suffered a broken leg after falling from Corrick Bridge at Down Royal and is likely to be out for some time. The bookmakers appear to think that he won't run as his odds of winning the Hennessy Gold Cup on November 27th drifted from 7/1 to 8/1 with Victor Chandler.

A more realistic target for Kauto Star will no doubt he the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day at Kempton. He has an amazing record in the Grade 1 race having recorded a record breaking fourth consecutive victory there in 2009 and will be competing for a remarkable fifth in 2010. The bookmakers appears to fancy his chances following Saturday's performance, as Victor Chandler shortened his odds from 7/4 to 5/4 and the star of National Hunt racing is the strong favourite. He is likely to be up against the horse he defeated in the JNwine.com Champion Chase in the form of Sizing Europe, who jumped poorly at Down Royal.

There will naturally be a strong focus on the season's pinnacle of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March, not least because of Kauto Star's fall last year. But bookmakers still make him favourite to make it a third Cheltenham Gold Cup win in 2011, following victories in 2007 and 2009, and Bet365 shortened his odds from 9/2 to 4/1 on the back of his performance at Down Royal on Saturday.

However, following the news regarding jockey Ruby Walsh's double leg break and his likely absence for several months, much of the talk before Kauto Star's next race will centre around who will race this record breaking horse. Tony McCoy has emerged as the early favourite to take the reins from Walsh, and it will be interesting to see what effect, if any, a new jockey will have on Kauto Star's performances.

Posted: Monday, 8th November 2010
Author: Chris James
Tags: kauto star, ruby walsh, king george vi chase, victor chandler,

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