GOLD CUP REPORT:THE OLD racing adage that a 'good big one' will always beat a 'good little one' hardly applies to yesterday's Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup since the former title holder Kauto Star has a more than sufficiently spacious frame to house his huge talent. But in Denman he met a monster who was in no mood for an argument.
During the build-up to yesterday's eagerly anticipated clash of the next-door neighbours, their trainer Paul Nicholls maintained the line that he found it very hard to believe he could have another horse in his yard capable of beating Kauto Star.
However, doubts had been growing.
"When we schooled Denman on Monday, I've never seen him look better," said Britain's champion trainer who was adding a third blue riband to those of Kauto Star last year and See More Business in 1999.
"On the day, the best horse has won. The form book said he needed to take an extra step up and we couldn't have known he had it in him. Now we know."
Everyone now knows, after Sam Thomas, the number two jockey, guided the supposed number two horse to a seven-length defeat of Kauto Star with their 25 to 1 stable companion, Neptune Collonges, just a short head back in third. For Nicholls it couldn't have gone better.
"Denman was awesome, Kauto ran his usual good race and Neptune put in a career best. On the day, Kauto didn't jump as well as he can on that tacky ground but on the day, the best horse has won," he added.
Ruby Walsh employed the same 'on-the-day' phrase more than once also which suggests that on a different course and on different ground, neither man is convinced Denman will confirm his stunning triumph of yesterday. "Sam picked it up down the back straight and even then I knew I couldn't get to him," Walsh said.
"Kauto felt like he was never travelling. Denman was going a good old gallop but no quicker than the horses in the Tingle Creek two years ago. You'd have hoped Kauto would be able to travel better but he didn't."
Thomas's gut-feeling that he was on the right one of the big two never took a knock through a race that was unusually straight-forward both to look at and ride in.
Neptune Collonges gave Denman a lead for the first circuit and then Thomas decided to employ all that famed stamina that first burst on the scene when the giant eight-year-old started point-to-pointing.
"I went through the race a million times in my mind and it went exactly to plan," reported Thomas.
"I didn't kick at any stage. He travels so well you could easily go too quick on him because he does everything so easily."
Bred by the Fermoy-based haulage contractor Colman O'Flynn, Denman at first couldn't be sold because of a supposed wind problem. After one start at Liscarroll, almost three years ago to the day, the only wind came in the slipstream of those queuing up to buy him.
Even then his mentor, the former Gold Cup-winning rider Adrian Maguire felt he was out of the ordinary and just one defeat in a 13-race career justified that belief. Yesterday vindicated it completely.
However, the intriguing idea that the Denman-Kauto Star debate may not be finished was quickly floated by the beaten champion's owner, Clive Smith.
"Denman always just had Kauto at it today - he was simply ferocious. Ruby believes he didn't jump as well as he can out of that ground," he said. "We will definitely take on Denman again. We'll be back next year and hopefully take our revenge. Kauto was not at his best today, but then horses are not machines."
Which is true enough, although when it counted most yesterday, it was Denman who gave a damn good impression of one. However, there may yet be other acts to follow in this compelling drama.
