DITCHEAT, England, (Reuters) – Kauto Star is a big softie, Denman is a brute who would bite your hand off. They live side by side in equine luxury and are best pals who spend their summers together.
Both are brilliant racehorses but for around six minutes and 45 seconds at Cheltenham racecourse on March 19 the pair will become fierce rivals again in an eagerly-anticipated Gold Cup showdown being billed in some quarters as “Clash of the Titans”.
The score stands at 1-1 between them. Kauto Star won British jump racing’s blue-riband event in 2007 and 2009. Denman, nicknamed “The Tank”, dethroned the champion in 2008 when Kauto Star was second but the places were reversed last year when Kauto Star became the first horse to regain the crown. He is hot favourite again to claim a third success.
Both are trained by Paul Nicholls in the small Somerset village of Ditcheat, where the tranquil surroundings of the English countryside house an all-conquering stable that turns out a production line of equine talent.
Nicholls, 47, is a former jump jockey who has trained at Manor Farm stables since 1991. He enjoyed his first Gold Cup triumph in 1999 and has been champion trainer for the last four seasons.
Pride of place at Manor Farm goes to Kauto Star who, as befitting his status as one of the greatest chasers the sport has known, occupies the first box as you enter the stables. Next door lives Denman, a muscular, chestnut powerhouse.
“They are different types of horses,” Nicholls told Reuters. “Kauto doesn’t need as much work as Denman. Denman is a bit of a brute…he’d sort of kill you if you look at him over the box…he’d snap your hand off.
“Kauto is the complete opposite…a bit of a softie. But they are good pals together. They spend their summers together and probably spend most of their time together really.”
ELITE GROUP
Kauto Star is bidding to join an elite group who have won the Gold Cup at least three times. Cottage Rake (1948-1950), Arkle (1964-66) and Best Mate (2002-04) did so but Golden Miller, who won the Gold Cup for five successive years from 1932, remains the most successful horse in the event.
As well as his two Gold Cup successes, Kauto Star has an impressive record. He has won 20 times, including 13 grade one victories, from 33 starts, and has secured more than two million pounds ($2.98 million) in prize money.
Denman, by comparison, has fewer miles on the clock. He has won 14 times from 19 starts, with four grade one successes and just over 900,000 pounds won.
Asking Nicholls which horse he thinks will win is like asking a dog lover to choose between his favourite pets.
“They are both favourites…they are both Gold Cup winners. It’s awfully hard. One of them is going to have to beat the other you know,” said Nicholls, who will saddle three other runners in the Gold Cup.
