D-day near for King Kauto

KAUTO STAR’S future should be clearer by this time next week. Champion trainer Paul Nicholls seems poised to use his annual owners’ day on Sunday to announce whether the five-time King George VI Chase hero will retire or race on. The 12-year-old was pulled up when trying to land his third Cheltenham Gold Cup in March after a training accident interrupted his preparation. But Clive Smith’s record-breaking chaser returned to the Nicholls yard yesterday after a summer spent in a field with retired next-box neighbour Denman, the 2008 Gold Cup hero, who could go team chasing. Nicholls (right) said: ‘There are no plans with Kauto. We’ll let everyone know when there are. ‘Denman is going to go to Charlotte Alexander. She gave Earthmover a good home when he retired, took him hunting and did a lot of team chasing. ‘She is going to hack Denman about, lead him into it gently and that is possibly what he could end up doing.’ Nicholls said Denman has completely recovered from the tendon injury that ended his career. He added: ‘If

he was younger, he’d be back in training.’ Nicholls’ four-time World Hurdle winner Big Buck’s returned to training last month but dual Champion Chase winner Master Minded continues to recuperate after almost severing a tendon in last season’s King George. Nicholls added: ‘Master Minded is retired. He had a really serious injury. He is out in a field and will need a year off before we consider doing anything with him.’