Kauto Star Installed as Red Hot Favourite for the Gold Cup

The impressive Kauto Star has been installed as 9/4 favourite for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham. Kauto won the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown, at the weekend, in stylish fashion.

After the passing of Desert Orchid last month, it seems fitting that race goers have been presented with a likely replacement hero in Kauto Star. The superb Paul Nicholls trained mount was ridden by Ruby Walsh to an apparently easy victory once again. Despite dropping back a full mile, after winning the 3 Mile Betfair Chase at Haydock previously, there was still no stopping Kauto and Ruby even in the face of the best efforts from Voy Por Ustedes.

Stan James immediately cut Kauto Star to 9/4 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Other firms are slightly more generous with 3/1 and 7/2 up for grabs.

The King George is a different matter, however. Kauto is odds-on everywhere with the best price at 4/5 with Blue Square.

Kauto Star looks unbeatable right now and victory in the King George will surely bring about further comparisons with the great Desert Orchid. This, despite the fact the horse is only 6 years old.

Neil Morrice, for Stan James, said, "In each of his three races this season Kauto Star has looked the proverbial machine and it is hard to see anything stopping him in our race on Boxing Day. Two miles or three, all distances seem to come alike to him and today he's made a hack out of last season's Arkle winner without coming out of third gear. It seems the only question he has to answer is whether he gets three and a quarter miles in the Gold Cup next March."

Ladbrokes are taking no chances on Kauto Star for the King George and the Gold Cup. Pricing him at 4/6 and 3/1 for both races.

David Williams from Ladbrokes said, "He was nothing short of sensational and we're unashamedly running for cover ahead of the Boxing Day race. He appears to have it all and whether it's two miles or three, it's increasingly difficult to find any horse who can give him a race."

Ed note: Is Kauto Star one of the best chase horses from a generation? Make your bets on him and all other major horse races at Blue Square

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