RACING: Kicking King wasn't at his absolute best yesterday but the star novice was still much too good for the opposition in the Baileys Arkle Cup.
"That's the first leg over - let's hope he gets the second one done too," said a relieved trainer Tom Taaffe after Kicking King's defeat of Central House and Colca Canyon.
It was a display of no little class as the horse jumped accurately and fought on well despite coming under pressure after the second last. Coral saw enough to make him as low as 4 to 1 joint-favourite with Thisthatantother for the Arkle at Cheltenham. But Taaffe is convinced there is better to come.
"He was not as fresh today as I would have liked. We have seven and a half weeks to Cheltenham and if I can have him the same way he was at Christmas then we'll pitch up and see who can beat him," he said.
That Christmas effort ended with a second-last fence fall in the Dennys which left Central House followers believing they would have won anyway.
That argument looks pretty weak now and Taaffe added: "I would hope he will be a better horse at the festival than he was today." Barry Geraghty had earlier won the maiden on John Oliver who ended up in a close struggle with Poachin Again before holding on by a head.
"Cheltenham is the idea and if he is as good as the horse who won this last year (Back In Front) he'll be pretty good," said Edward O'Grady. "He's in the Deloitte & Touche but we sent Back In Front to Limerick after this so we'll see."
On the novice hurdle front, however, there was no doubting the performance of the day as Watson Lake annihilated the opposition in the Grade Three Golden Cygent.
Paul Carberry, still suffering from the after-effects of a fall on Saturday, missed out on the ride after he was stood down for three days following the first race. Ian Power took over and never had an anxious moment to beat Away Home by four lengths. Cashmans make the Noel Meade-trained horse 14 to 1 for the Sun Alliance but the trainer said Watson Lake will also be entered for the Supreme.
The stewards were busy after the first race with the connections of Upton Gem (ninth) found to have used the track as a training ground.
Trainer John Joseph Murphy was fined €800, the horse banned for 42 days and rider William Callaghan suspended for seven days.
JP Ennis, the rider of the fourth Nassaro, was also banned for seven days for making insufficient effort.
