Can Native River emulate Kauto Star by reclaiming Gold Cup?
The name Kauto Star still conjures memories of elite sporting brilliance. Paul Nicholl’s horse is widely regarded as one of the best steeplechasers of recent times. His list of honors includes five King George VI Chase wins, including four in a row between 2006 and 2009, two Gold Cups, and the successful completion of the Stayers Chase Triple Crown in 2006-07. Kauto Star was a champion of the highest order and is one of the legendary names in the sport.
At this year’s Cheltenham Festival, Native River has the chance to replicate one of Kauto Star’sbest achievements – reclaiming the Gold Cup. In 2007, Kauto Star won the Gold Cup for the first time before losing out the year after as his stablemate Denman won the top prize. But in 2009 Kauto Star became the first horse to reclaim the Gold Cup, consigning Denman to second place in fine style.
Native River is faced with the same tantalizing prospect this year. Having won the Gold Cup in 2018, the Colin Tizzard-trained horse was forced to settle for fourth place last year, as Willie Mullins’ Al Boum Photo landed the win.
12 months on, attention turns to the Festival’s showpiece race once again, and the latestCheltenham Gold Cup betting odds suggest that Al Boum Photo is likely to make it two in a row. Native River sits as something of an outside bet, in contrast to the short odds held by Kauto Star in the build-up to the 2009 race.
But Native River’s owner Garth Broom has been in confident mood ahead of Cheltenham after the 10-year-old triumphed in the recent Betfair Denman Chase at Newbury.
“He’s got as good a chance as any,” Broom said.“There are younger horses about but I think he’s as good as he ever was, so I think we have a very good chance – a better chance than many of those shorter than him in the betting.”
It’s a dangerous thing to build up a horse too much ahead of such a big occasion, but Broom’s confidence in his horse comes from his past achievements. The victory at Newbury was Native River’s third triumph in the Denman Chase, becoming the only horse to win the race on three occasions since its inception in the year 2000.
Another advantage Native River has is his demonstrable ability to be comfortable under different jockeys. Across his career he has had numerous different riders, most recently Richard Johnson, who helped earn the Gold Cup win in 2018. But it was Jonjo O’Neill Jr. who took to the saddle for the Denman Chase, riding Native River for the first time, and neither horse nor jockey showed any sign of nerves, producing an admirable display to secure that historic win.
It’s unclear whether Johnson will be able to return from a broken arm in time for the Cheltenham Festival, though he was optimistic after sustaining the injury. You feel that if Native River is to join Kauto Star in the record books, he will need that tried and trusted rider to guide him along the way.
It’s a strong field of contenders for the Gold Cup this year, but sometimes the experience can count for everything on the big occasion. Native River has proved he has the talent to endure – all that remains to be seen is whether that talent can yield another landmark victory at Cheltenham.
