Kauto commemorated with Triple Crown trophy

A SPECIALLY commissioned trophy named after racing legend Kauto Star will be awarded to the owner of the next horse that completes the Jockey Club Racecourses Chase Triple Crown.

The Chase Triple Crown — which consists of the Betfair Chase, the 32Red King George VI Chase and the Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup — has only ever been won by one horse: Kauto Star.

The commemorative trophy is in addition to the £1 million bonus stumped up by JCR and will be kept by the winning owner forever.

Triple Crown hero

Kauto Star completed the feat ten years ago during the 2006-7 season when he swept all before him, winning all six starts, including four times at the highest level. He retired with a total of 16 Grade 1 wins to his name.

Kauto Star's trainer Paul Nicholls said: "It's fitting that The Jockey Club has commissioned a trophy in Kauto Star's name to honour his Chase Triple Crown-winning season.

"A horse has to have very special qualities to win the Betfair Chase, King George VI Chase and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same season. The year Kauto won the Chase Triple Crown, we all realised what a superstar horse we had on our hands."

Will the bonus be won?

Jockey Club Racecourses may be stumping up the £1million bonus — which is split between the winning horse's owner (£650,000), trainer (£150,000), jockey (£100,000) and stable staff (£100,000) — but managing director Paul Fisher is hoping that the Triple Crown is successfully completed.

He said: "Kauto Star was one of the greatest staying chasers in the history of our sport and showed what it takes to win the three Grade 1 contests in our Chase Triple Crown in the same season.

"To mark the ten-year anniversary of that feat we wanted to create a trophy to honour Kauto's memory and all he gave our sport. I'd like to thank Clive Smith for giving us permission to do so.

"The question now is, will this be the season we see the Kauto Star Trophy won and the £1 million bonus that goes with it? We'd be delighted because it would mean a great new champion for our sport has emerged."

The first leg of the Chase Triple Crown, the Betfair Chase, takes place at Haydock on Saturday. The betting is headed at 15-8 by Cue Card, who memorably won the first two legs prior to falling three fences from home in the Cheltenham Gold Cup last season.