kauto has the class

Kauto Star - difficult to bet against.

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By Richard Johnson

So much has been said about Kauto Star's win in the Aon Chase at Newbury on Saturday.

On the whole I think he jumped well - apart from the one mistake at the last fence. When he makes his mistakes he does get his front two legs over the fence, the problem seems to be more with his back end. He tends to come up a bit early or takes a dive at the obstacle.

He never looked like falling though and I think there is every chance he can survive a mistake in the Gold Cup. If it comes at the last though it will be hard to win the race. It will be after three and a quarter miles on testing ground, then you have the hill to climb after losing momentum.

Kempton and Newbury are very flat tracks and don't place as much of a premium on stamina. At the same time I think Ruby Walsh will probably be able to overcome that at Cheltenham.

After a slowly-run race at Newbury he was keen to seal the win coming to the second last where as I think around Cheltenham he'll be able to travel and enjoy himself more. I don't think he'll have to get to the front too soon in the Gold Cup, he jumps well with a lead and that will suit him.

It is frustrating when you ride something that makes the odd howler but Kauto Star is a very good horse and he has got away with it so far. The best I have seen him jump was in the Betfair Chase at Haydock, and to be honest I think the bigger fences there made him respect them a bit more. With that in mind, Cheltenham might get that sort of tune out of him.

Obviously it is a slight worry that he made that mistake in the Champion Chase when he came down last year but with a slower pace over a longer trip and the fact he is a year older, he should be okay. I would still find it very hard to go against him in the Gold Cup.

I don't think he's as far clear of the rest as some people thought at one time, but I do think he is the one we all have to beat.

On the same Newbury card, Well Chief returned from his spell on the sidelines to win the totepool Game Spirit Chase.

The one thing about the Pipe team is their horses generally don't need a run, even after such a lengthy absence.

It was a very good performance from the horse - he jumped and he travelled, Timmy Murphy looked very happy with him. It is very difficult to find anything wrong with the way he did it. He is the class act in the Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase. He's been there, done it before against the very best.

It has to be a slight worry that he was having his first run for nearly two years just four weeks before the Festival though.

Sometimes, for whatever reason, horses run below par on their second run after a lengthy lay-off, but on face value he didn't have a hard race at Newbury and I couldn't have been more impressed by him.

It was a very good field, obviously Voy Por Ustedes parted company with Robert Thornton but Ashley Brook is a very solid yardstick who went a good gallop and jumped very well. There were no real excuses for him, Paddy Brennan said he ran very well. He wasn't disappointed at all - he just said he was beaten by a better horse on the day.

For Voy Por Ustedes to unseat rider was not ideal for his connections but these pre-Cheltenham trials often aren't totally satisfactory. Even the Agfa Hurdle that I won on Detroit City wasn't the test we really wanted as there was no pace. You just want to get through them unscathed.

It was unfortunate that Voy Por Ustedes and Robert parted company but I wouldn't be too worried. He won the Arkle over course and distance last season, we know he acts around Cheltenham.

It is frustrating for connections, and the racing public, that he didn't complete on Saturday. We would have learned a lot about the horse had he stood up and faced Well Chief down the straight. Now we will have to wait for the Festival to discover what would have happened.

Denman was very impressive in the opening novice chase at Newbury on Saturday and that was the first time that I really felt he could go on and win a big race at one of the major Festivals.

He seemed a lot more grown up on Saturday. He has hung both ways in the past and looked as though he wanted to do what he wants rather than what Ruby wants on some occasions.

However on Saturday he looked a much more complete horse. However he met a fence he jumped it well, he didn't make a semblance of a mistake all the way round.

While it wasn't a performance that would be good enough to win a Royal & SunAlliance Chase, his whole attitude impressed me. He is an outstanding horse and if he holds it all together he is the one they all have to beat at Cheltenham.

It is hard to weigh up the closing bumper that was won by Crocodiles Rock.

I was fourth in the race on a very nice horse of Paul Webber's called Appleaday, we were beaten quite a long way but were staying on nicely at the finish.

It is good form and Crocodiles Rock has gone from strength to strength.

AP said first time he ran no race, whether through greenness I don't know, but his last two wins have been very good.

He is tough, a quality you need for a Festival bumper.

Beef Or Salmon won the Irish Hennessy again and he is a horse British racegoers have never seen the best of.

His best form over here probably came at Haydock and he seems best on a flat, galloping track.

Round Leopardstown he is very hard to beat, he is ten pounsd better there than anywhere else. He handles the soft ground too.

You would be very brave to back him in any race over here - especially the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup, they may not even bring him over. But he will always be very hard to beat in his own backyard.

The Listener ran well in second and there was no disgrace in being beaten by the winner.

The ground was very testing on Sunday and had the winning post been at the last fence then The Listener would be second favourite for the Gold Cup now.

I don't think it will be as testing at Cheltenham, he is a horse on the upgrade, and he looks one who must be on your shortlist for the Gold Cup as he could easily run into a place.