March 16th was the annual running of the Cheltenham Gold Cup, which is the most important National Hunt (Jumps) horse race in the UK.
This year, the race was won by the UK's champion jockey, A.P. McCoy, riding a horse called Synchronised.
Also in the race was a horse called Kauto Star, who was attempting to win the race for the third time.
Very simply Kauto Star is a Horse Racing legend. He is the best jumps race horse of all time, and his record is incredible.
Sadly, Kauto did not win the race, and was pulled up by his Jockey, Ruby Walsh, at the half way stage. When this happened the 60,000+ crowd broke into spontaneous applause for him. I am not exaggerating when I say that tears were shed for Kauto and Ruby. Kauto is likely to be retired now.
These two shots are of Kauto Star cantering to the start of the race, and being led back in while the race continued. Congratulations to A.P. and the connections of the winning horse, you deserve your success.
To Kauto Star, and his connections, thank you for the wonderful memories that you have given all racing fans. You are one in a million, enjoy your retirement.
Kauto Star's record in the UK is as follows. These facts are from Wikipedia.
In his first six years in Britain he competed in 18 Grade 1 races over distances from 2 miles to 3¼ miles. He completed 15, winning 14, with his solitary second place coming in the 2008 Gold Cup to his stablemate Denman.
With his 2011 Gold Cup third place, Kauto kept his record of never finishing outside the places in any of his 27 completed races in his seven seasons in Britain.
His official rating of 193 given after his fourth King George win was the highest ever awarded to a steeplechaser.
He is the only horse to have won the King George five times.
He is the only horse to have ever regained the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
He is the only horse to have ever won two separate Grade 1 (or Group 1) races over four times (Betfair Chase four times and King George VI Chase five times). He also won both races under three different Prime Ministers!
He has won more prize money than any other National Hunt horse in the history of the sport.
He is the only horse to win Grade 1 races in seven consecutive seasons.
He is the only horse to have won 16 Grade 1 races in total.
