Trainer Paul Nicholls has spoken of his sadness at the passing of legendary racehorse Kauto Star, who was put down today after a paddock accident.
Kauto Star was one of the greatest steeplechasers of all time, winning 16 Grade One races, including two Cheltenham Gold Cups.
"Obviously, everyone is extremely upset, as anyone who follows racing will be," he told RTÉ Sport. "It's a sad day. He was here for nine years, he took us to all the best places.
"He was everybody's horse. He was so good for National Hunt racing as a whole. So many people came into racing because of him and everybody was so fond of him.
"It's a sad loss for everybody but sadly these things happen."
Nicholls related the story of how the great horse had been discovered.
"Clive [Smith, owner] was looking for a decent horse. I asked Anthony Bromley to see if we could find one.
"We nearly actually bought Garde Champetre at the sales. He made a bit too much money and about a month later Anthony came up with Kauto Star.
"We were looking for a chaser and he fitted the bill. He'd won a nice novice hurdle, I thought he was a big scopy chasing horse, not a brilliant pedigree but the minute we started doing anything with him we just knew he was all class.
"He was just a high-class horse. Huge engine, will to win, he had everything."
Reflecting on Kauto Star's first Gold Cup victory in 2007, Nicholls said: "He had a knack of being able to walk throught the last but it never stopped him. He galloped all the way to the line.
"That day he looked a real true stayer. There were times you thought three and a quarter was a bit too far for him but that day was one of his best performances."
Nicholls also revealed that Kauto was a temperamental trainer, which alarmed Ruby Walsh, who rode the horse in 17 of his 19 victories.
"He wasn't the easiest [to train]. In and about the box he was a gent, your best mate but to train he was very sharp.
"He did sort of stupid things. I always said he had nine lives and sadly he's run out of them.
"He used to put himself in some tricky situations, coming back loose. Ruby was always frightened to death when he used to ride him out on Ditcheat every month and school him around the village because he was very sharp.
"That was just the way he was, just a wonderful horse. Not necessarily unpredictable, we got to know him so we knew everything about him and you minimise things and don't take any chances. Clifford [Baker], who rode him every day, knew that."
Nicholls fell out with owner Smith over the latter's decision to move Kauto Star into a dressage career rather than retire him at the yard, but Nicholls said that despite that he believed dressage trainer Laura Collett had looked after the horse well.
"Every owner has the right to do what he likes with his own horse - he pays the bills," said Nicholls.
"In hindsight, it would probably be better if he had stayed here with Clifford but Clive was entitled to do what he wanted, and that's everybody's right.
"Laura has looked after him wonderfully and it's no reflection on her whatsoever.
"She's done well with him but he was a champion racehorse, not a dressage horse. They're different animals.
"But he's been well looked after and had a wonderful life, it's just been a tragic accident. It's just one of those things that happened.
"We had great days with him. A wonderful horse for me, Ruby, the whole team at Ditcheat and everybody in racing."
For more listen to Game On, weeknights from 7pm on 2fm
