The King George VI Chase has been a fixture of the Boxing Day card at Kempton Park since 1947 and its roll of honour includes the likes of Arkle, Pendil, Wayward Lad, Desert Orchid and Best Mate, to name but a handful of its illustrious winners. However, any of those famous names would do well to match the in-running comment recorded in the ‘Racing Post’ following the victory of Kauto Star on December 26, 2011. It read, “Jumped impeccably, prominent, tracked leader 6th, led 8th, stepped up the pace from 12th, about 4 lengths clear from 15th, never going to be caught after, ridden out flat, awesome.”
Superlatives were definitely in order for the by then-11-year-old, who was in the twilight of his racing career, but both trainer Paul Nicholls and jockey Ruby Walsh deserve plaudits for devising, and executing, tactics that allowed Kauto Star to beat his old rival Long Run. Long Run had beaten an out-of-sorts Kauto Star by 19 lengths in the rescheduled renewal of the 2010 King Geoge VI Chase, run in January 2011 and, again, by 11 lengths, in the Cheltenham Gold Cup two months later.
Long Run started even money favourite at Kempton despite being beaten eight lengths by Kauto Star in the Betfair Chase at Haydock the previous month, but the latter was not to be denied in his attempt to win the Boxing Day showpiece for the fifth time in six years. To his credit, Long Run kept trying, despite a mistake at the final fence but, although he closed on the run-in, he was never able to challenge and Kauto Star passed the post a length and a quarter to the good. In so doing, he beat the previous record set by the inimitable Desert Orchid, who won the King George VI Chase four times, in 1986, 1988, 1989 and 1990, and made his swansong appearance in the 1991 renewal.