Sad to hear that, saw the dominating 36 length win in the flesh, was in complete awe at the majestical way Kauto traveled that day, made the other horses look like Blackpool donkeys
I don't think he died a natural death. Despite his legendary status he was "put down" by humans rather than nursed back to health. A factor that suggests his value had disappeared in someone's eyes. Sad but that's the horsey world for you.
Former trainer, Paul Nicholls. fell out with the owner Clive Smith back in April 2011 when he wanted to retire KS following a lack lustre display at Punchestown. Smith wanted none of it and apparently the two even had an altercation in front of hundreds of guests at Nicholls' annual owners' day.
A few months later this re-surfaced when Nicholls, like most people, wanted KS to retire gracefully to the paddock. Smith, for whatever motivation, wanted to elongate the old boy's career by making him learn and compete, at the age of almost 12, in dressage events.
Clifford Baker, head lad to Paul Nicholls, said of the horse's new career:
"It was sad to see him leave and it took me a long time to get over it. I knew him inside out and back to front and we all knew he wasn't going to be a dressage horse. He was a handful at times, and he was never going to settle down and trot around a dressage ring, so it was a great source of regret.
We would have loved to have given him the retirement he deserved and it was sad too for the boys and girls who looked after him - Sonja, Nick and Rose - who were all brilliant with him in the eight years we had him"
Finally this week, not only Nicholls but those very staff that had cared for him during his career were not told about the accident until KS had been put down i.e. a week after his fall.
It would be easy to view Smith as a hard nosed businessman who made his millions building a commodity and selling it - in his case golf courses. KS was another commodity who won approximately £2.4m in prizemoney but who, all of a sudden, was worthless and a cost to him.
Perhaps though we see Smith's true colours through just one quote about Nicholls:
"To be honest, I was disappointed from early on that Paul didn't pronounce Kauto's name correctly," he said. "There was no excuse but he didn't back off."
To Smith the correct pronounciation of "Kauto" ate away at him far more, it seems, than the horse's welfare.
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http://forum.charltonlife.com/discussion/63102/sport-of-kings-discussion-thread#latest
Why they sent you to dressage we'll never know.
Apparently Paul Nicholls is fuming but the owner kept sending him out to events and he never got a chance to shag his days away as a stud
A few months later this re-surfaced when Nicholls, like most people, wanted KS to retire gracefully to the paddock. Smith, for whatever motivation, wanted to elongate the old boy's career by making him learn and compete, at the age of almost 12, in dressage events.
Clifford Baker, head lad to Paul Nicholls, said of the horse's new career:
"It was sad to see him leave and it took me a long time to get over it. I knew him inside out and back to front and we all knew he wasn't going to be a dressage horse. He was a handful at times, and he was never going to settle down and trot around a dressage ring, so it was a great source of regret.
We would have loved to have given him the retirement he deserved and it was sad too for the boys and girls who looked after him - Sonja, Nick and Rose - who were all brilliant with him in the eight years we had him"
Finally this week, not only Nicholls but those very staff that had cared for him during his career were not told about the accident until KS had been put down i.e. a week after his fall.
It would be easy to view Smith as a hard nosed businessman who made his millions building a commodity and selling it - in his case golf courses. KS was another commodity who won approximately £2.4m in prizemoney but who, all of a sudden, was worthless and a cost to him.
Perhaps though we see Smith's true colours through just one quote about Nicholls:
"To be honest, I was disappointed from early on that Paul didn't pronounce Kauto's name correctly," he said. "There was no excuse but he didn't back off."
To Smith the correct pronounciation of "Kauto" ate away at him far more, it seems, than the horse's welfare.