'He was in the same mould as Galopin Des Champs' - Gold Cup hero Kicking King dies aged 25

Barry Geraghty has hailed Gold Cup hero Kicking King a powerful and classy staying chaser in the same mould as Galopin Des Champs following his death at the age of 25. 

The 2005 Gold Cup winner won the King George in the same season and landed the Christmas showpiece again the following season when it was rerouted to Sandown. 

Geraghty was on board for every one of Kicking King's 26 appearances outside of bumpers and formed a wonderful association with the Tom Taaffe-trained chaser, who earned a peak rating of 175 in his pomp. 

Geraghty said: "Kicking King was some horse over a fence, he had so much scope. It was incredible really and we had some wonderful days together. He was so classy. You rarely see a horse able to run so well over two miles and yet be able to win a Gold Cup over three and a quarter. They are a very rare breed. 

"The King George-Gold Cup double is not an easy one to do. They are two very different races, but he managed to cope with the demands of both and was brilliant in both King Georges and at Cheltenham too. He was so powerful and a real classy three-miler, I would put him in the same sort of mould as Galopin Des Champs. Both of them won a John Durkan as well over two and a half miles. You need real class to do what they have done."

The 2004 King George was the scene of one of the most bizarre incidents ever witnessed on a racetrack when a spectator dressed up as Santa Claus got on to the track and almost cannoned into Kicking King on the run-in. 

Recalling the race, Geraghty said: "It was unbelievable really. We had absolutely ploughed our way through the last fence and nearly came down and next thing I see this red thing flashed across the track in front of me. I was after nearly throwing away a King George at the last so I wasn't going to let Santa Claus take it away from me after surviving that!"

There was another scare in the run up to the 2005 Gold Cup when Taaffe ruled the ante-post favourite out of Cheltenham due to a dirty scope, but he managed to get him back on track in the days leading up to the race and he ran out an impressive five-length winner over Take The Stand. 

Kicking King and Barry Geraghty storm to victory in the 2005 Gold CupCredit: Whitaker Edward

Geraghty recalled: "I was out in Dubai a few weeks before the race when Tom sent me a message asking if I could talk. I knew something was up and then he told me Kicking King was out of the Gold Cup. I was completely deflated. The wheels had come off the bike! But he somehow managed to get the wheels back on and the rest is history. He was brilliant that day at Cheltenham. That was such a classy performance."

Kicking King's last win was his second King George success at Sandown in 2005, where he held on bravely by a neck from Monkerhostin, and he was not seen on the track for another 759 days due to a tendon injury. He was unable to get his head back in front in a further five starts and was retired in 2008 after finishing a well-beaten second to War Of Attrition at Punchestown. 

Kicking King won six Grade 1s, all over fences, and earned connections more than £800,000 in prize-money. He ran three times at the Cheltenham Festival and never finished outside the first two, filling the runner-up spot in the 2003 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and 2004 Arkle.

Owner Conor Clarkson said: "Kicking King took my family, friends and me on a racing odyssey few are privileged to enjoy. My thanks to Tom and his team for their magnificent handling of Kicking King that enabled him, with the wonderful Barry Geraghty on board, to achieve so much. 

"I'm so pleased he spent so many happy years providing enjoyment to the public in the unparalleled care of the Irish National Stud.” 

Tom Taaffe: 'He was the best horse I ever trained'

Tom Taaffe pays tribute to his former star chaser . . .

I was absolutely honoured to play a part in Kicking King's career. He was the best horse I ever trained, there is little doubt about that. He became an ambassador for racing. 

We bought him as a yearling and I had him the whole way along. He showed potential when he won his bumper at Leopardstown first time out and then over hurdles he was second to Back In Front in the Supreme, but with the size and scope he had, we always knew he had the potential to be even better over fences. 

Whether you're riding or training the one race you want to win is the Gold Cup. I don't mean to be smart or anything, but when I was small and Mum and Dad went to Cheltenham, it was normal for him to ride a Gold Cup winner and have five or six winners. So, when I was lucky enough to get the opportunity of winning a Gold Cup, it was great to be able to take it. There was a lot of emotion that day. 

He was all class the day he won the Gold Cup. You don't see too many jockeys taking a proper swing coming down the hill with three to jump but that's what Barry did. That's how well he was travelling. 

Barry Geraghty: praised by Tom Taaffe for his role in Kicking King's careerCredit: John Grossick Racing

Barry was brilliant on him and knew him so well. He was a brilliant analyst straight after a race as well and always knew what went well and what didn't go well. 

I was lucky enough to see him in the Irish National Stud in November and he really did live a fantastic second life. He was looked after better than any human ever was. Leona Harmon deserved a special mention for the way she cared for him. She did the most fantastic job. 

I'll never forget him. He gave me my best day in racing. 

RIP, Kicking King. Thanks for the memories. 

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