Gently Does It For Taaffe Ace

Tom Taaffe's 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King has begun his long road to recovery.

The nine-year-old has not been seen since winning the King George VI Chase at Sandown later that year after suffering two bad tendon injuries and no decision on his racing career will be made for some time yet.

'Kicking King is great, he's living in a five-star hotel, he's not doing an awful lot,' said Taaffe.

'He's actually walk riding for the first time. Walk riding is nothing serious, but it's like any horse when they get an injury like this, it is a long, slow process and you don't know what's at the end of it.

'We just have to bring him back and we'll discuss what we do with him in October or November.'

Taaffe also gave stablemate Cane Break a clean bill of health following his fine performance to finish fifth in last week's Gold Cup.

'We were absolutely delighted with him,' he told At The Races.

'He won the Troytown and the Paddy Power Chase over Christmas and we said there and then that we would prepare him for the Gold Cup without another run.

'I said to everyone I thought he would finish in the money and he won #11,500. He was only beaten 10 lengths and on softer ground he would have been even closer.

'He is entered in the Betfred and he will also have an entry in the Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown and he'll be entered in the Irish National, but with that being a handicap we will have to have a close look.

'It's all possible at this stage and the way he came out of the race we would be keen to run him again, obviously the drying ground could play a factor.'

(C) PA Sport