King´s Shoe Problem Discovered

A dislodged near-hind shoe may have been responsible for the defeat of reigning champion steeplechaser Kicking King in the betfair Chase at Haydock.

Connections of the Tom Taaffe-trained seven-year-old were initially left scratching their heads after seeing the 4-5 favourite finish well held in third behind Kingscliff and Beef or Salmon.

Jockey Barry Geraghty had pushed Kicking King into contention around the final turn only for his mount to falter and fade close home, having made a mistake at the second-last fence.

Geraghty´s initial reaction was to suggest to Taaffe that last year´s Totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup hero had simply ´run flat´ from the home turn.

Taaffe, mindful that some of his horses have appeared to be under a cloud, said he would like to take more time before attributing his charge´s defeat to anything in particular.

But subsequent examination at the stables revealed the horse´s near-hind shoe had become partially dislodged causing a protruding nail to pierce into a soft part of the foot.

'He is very sore now and you don´t have to be Einstein to work out that it didn´t help,' said the trainer.

Speaking immediately after the race, Taaffe was nothing but honourable as he opted to take defeat squarely on the chin.

'I am not going to run for cover,' he said. 'He was fit enough and well enough to put up a very good performance, but Barry felt he just ran flat from the home turn.

'He is just a horse, not a machine, and that is racing. It is why people keep coming because you never know what is going to happen.

'He jumped well and seems fine but I would like to take him home and give him a week before we commit ourselves to anything.

'If he comes back to his best then I think he is a better horse than he has shown here and the King George and the Gold Cup would still be the targets.

'It is the end of the Betfair Million for us but it is not the end of the world.'

Kay Hourigan, daughter of Beef Or Salmon´s trainer Michael, was delighted with his performance and thought he may well have gone closer with the benefit of a previous outing.

She said: 'That was brilliant and we´ll see where we´ll go next with him.

'I think he´ll go to either Sandown or Leopardstown over Christmas.

'The other horses had had a run (over jumps) and he hadn´t. If he´d had a run two weeks ago it might have helped but I´m absolutely delighted.

Jockey Paul Carberry added: 'I thought I was in with a chance all the way up the straight but he was a bit slow at the last and then perhaps a lack of a run found him out.

'He jumped very accurately and I knew he was going to find a bit. He ran a cracker.'

Keen Leader finished fourth and his trainer, Jonjo O´Neill, said: 'He jumped well and could go for the Grand National - he is that type of horse.'

? PA Sport