Kicking King in rude health but Mate bows out

Racing Cheltenham newsThe absence of the triple champion Best Mate looks to have thrown next Friday's totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup wide open and the Irish star Kicking King is back in contention to fill the breach.

Tom Taaffe's King George winner has staged a remarkable recovery from illness after a bad scope last week looked to have ruined his chances of making the Gold Cup field.

However, Taaffe confirmed recent speculation in a statement yesterday which said Kicking King will be going to Cheltenham and for the Gold Cup rather than other options in the Daily Telegraph Chase or the Champion Chase.

"He will be confirmed on Saturday for the Gold Cup. He has surprised us in all aspects and seems to have put his problems behind him. He has worked well and scoped well since and he remains on course," Taaffe said.

However, the return of one big name was counter-balanced yesterday by the loss of possibly the biggest Cheltenham name of all in recent years as Best Mate was ruled out of an attempt on a fourth successive Gold Cup victory.

Best Mate was found to have burst a blood vessel after being pulled up in his final pre-festival work out on Mick Channon's gallops yesterday morning.

The gelding will not race again this season but his trainer Henrietta Knight said the injury is not career-threatening and Best Mate will hopefully return to action next season.

The 10-year-old had been a general 5 to 2 favourite for steeplechasing's blue riband.

"These things are often caused by a virus and he picked a virus up in Ireland at Christmas. I think it is all linked. He will have a long rest now," said Knight.

"It's shattering news. He had been working so well and had been superb on the gallops," she added.

"The vet told me he is quite deep in his lungs. But it's better it happened at home rather than during the race. It's disappointing for jump racing as a whole.

"We had been hoping for four on the trot but that's the end of the dream. We'll just have to wait another year."

Best Mate's high-profile owner Jim Lewis was philosophical at the news and said: "I have had people crying their eyes out. You would think it is a disaster. It's not. A tsunami is a disaster."

He added: "Whoever wins the Gold I will tell them well done and wish them all the best. But I'll also remind them that the Gold Cup is only borrowed!"

Kingscliff, runner-up to Kicking King in the King George, and the Foxhunters winner in 2003, is now the new favourite for the Gold Cup with Ladbrokes making him the 7 to 2 market leader. His main market rival is Strong Flow (9 to 2) with Beef Or Salmon best of the Irish on 5 to 1.

Beef Or Salmon will have a final pre-festival gallop this morning with trainer Michael Hourigan hoping the Lexus winner will emerge unscathed from the work and the scope afterwards.

There were no dramatics in the latest step towards the Smurfit Champion Hurdle with a total of 16 horses left in at yesterday's confirmation stage.

They are headed by the reigning champion Hardy Eustace and the only noteworthy defection was that of the Kingwell winner Inglis Drever who is now likely to run in Thursday's World Hurdle.

The strong Irish team for the Champion Hurdle remains intact with Harchibald, who worked badly last weekend, confirmed as a likely starter by his trainer Noel Meade.

Ladbrokes Gold Cup betting: 7-2 Kingscliff, 9-2 Strong Flow, 5 Beef Or Salmon, 6 Celestial Gold and Kicking King, 8 Rule Supreme and Grey Abbey, 14 Sir Rembrandt, 16 bar.