Kicking King was a rare class of athlete that was capable of proving himself to be a top-class novice hurdler and chaser over two miles before going on to thrive over staying trips over fences. He quickly rose through the ranks, culminating in consecutive wins in the King George VI Chase with a memorable Cheltenham Gold Cup win in between. Unfortunately, just as soon as he had hit the top of his game, his career was curtailed by injury, but Tom Taaffe’s charge will be remembered as one of the best staying chasers that Ireland produced in the “noughties”.
Trainer: Tom Taaffe
Principal Jockeys: Barry Geraghty
Grade 1 Wins: King George VI Chase (2005 + 2004), Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup (2005), Cheltenham Gold Cup (2005), John Durkan Memorial Chase (2004), Irish Arkle (2004)
Early Days
A precocious individual, Kicking King was forward enough to win the first four-year-old bumper of the season at Leopardstown in January 2002. He had just one more outing that season, but wasted no time in proving himself a high-class novice hurdler in 2002/3. A winning hurdling debut at Naas was followed by a defeat in Grade 3 novice company at the hands of the top-class mare Solerina, but he won his next two starts in great style, most notably in the Grade 2 Byrne Group plc Novice Hurdle. From there, the Cheltenham Festival beckoned and he created a very good impression in finishing second to Back In Front in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle. However, chasing was always going to be his game and there was an awful lot to look forward to the following season.
A Leading Novice Chaser
Following a very promising chasing debut at Punchestown, Taaffe upped him in class to contest the Grade 1 Denny Gold Medal Novice Chase at Leopardstown. It looked as though the gamble was set to come off, as Kicking King held a clear lead only to fall at the penultimate fence. That proofed to be just a blip though, as following a confidence-boosting win in a novice chase at Punchestown, he won the Grade 1 Arkle Challenge Cup at Leopardstown in great style. That win was sufficiently stylish to see him sent off at 7/2 for the Arkle Trophy at the Cheltenham Festival and he only found the top-class two miler Well Chief too good for him on the day. He bumped into another high-class performer in the shape of Hi Cloy in the Powers Gold Cup at the Fairyhouse Easter Festival and was brought down in his final start at the Punchestown Festival, but better still was to be forthcoming when Taaffe stepped his stable star up in trip the following season.
Up In Trip And Climbing To The Top
The 2004/5 season saw Taaffe’s patience with Kicking King being rewarded. After making a successful reappearance in the Grade 2 National Lottery Agent Champion Chase at Gowran Park, Kicking King found just the legendary Beef Or Salmon too good in the Grade 1 James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase at Down Royal. However, that would prove to be his only defeat of the season as he went on a remarkable winning streak in Grade 1 contests. His next start saw Kicking King reverse form with Beef Or Salmon in an impressive win in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase and that set him up for a tilt at the King George VI Chase at Kempton. Sent off as the 3/1 favourite, Kicking King impressively stretched clear from the third-last fence only to blunder and almost come down at the last. He survived the error and despite a protester dressed as Santa running across the track close to the winning post, Kicking King had 2½ lengths to spare at the line. That win was enough to see him sent off as the favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup on his next start and he made no mistake this time, running out the five lengths victor. After such an authoritative performance, the Guinness Gold Cup at the Punchestown Festival was expected to be a formality for him and that duly proved to be the case, with him not being extended to win by three lengths.
Defending His Crown
Following such a remarkably successful season, Kicking King was expected to rule the staying chase division for many years, but 2004/5 didn’t go at all to plan. He met with what at the time was a shock defeat at the hands of War Of Attrition in the Listed Daily Star Chase at Punchestown on his seasonal reappearance, but the subsequent exploits of that horse make the defeat look much less surprising. Another defeat followed in the Betfair Chase at Haydock, which was anything but an ideal preparation for the King George VI Chase at Sandown. However, the seven-year-old pulled the win out of the fire to gain his second consecutive win in the race, prevailing by a neck from Monkerhostin.
Unfortunately, he wouldn’t get a chance to defend his Cheltenham Gold Cup crown that season as soon after Sandown it was announced that Tom Taaffe’s stable star has picked up a career-threatening injury. That injury saw him miss out on just over two years of his prime and while he shaped with promise on his return on an emotional day at Gowran Park, he failed to rediscover his spark in four subsequent starts and was retired by his connections in November 2008. In what turned out to be relatively short career, Kicking King won 12 of his 28 starts and earned just over €1m in prize money. One will always wonder what he might have achieved had injury not intervened after his second King George VI Chase win, but there is no question that he has to rate as one of the leading Irish-trained staying chasers of the decade.
Info supplied by Horse Racing Ireland – Updated January 2011
