Kauto Star made Cheltenham Gold Cup history on Friday by becoming the first horse to regain the trophy. The 9-year-old gelding, which won the race two years ago, beat last season's winner Denman for another 1-2 by trainer Paul Nicholls and seventh winner of the meet for jockey Ruby Walsh. The 2007 winner took the lead with three fences to go and pulled away to win by 13 lengths in the highlight race of the four-day Cheltenham Festival. “He's the greatest horse I've ever ridden,” said Walsh, who earlier became the first jockey to ride six winners and then stretched that record to seven. “Two miles, three miles, now two Gold Cups. He's magic, he's a wonder horse. He traveled super all the way.” Denman, again with Sam Thomas in the saddle, stayed with Kauto Star behind longtime leader Neptune Collonges for much of the race, raising the possibility that last year's first three home would do it again. But Neptune Collonges failed to respond as his stablemates charged by with three fences to go. When Walsh got Kauto Star to break away, Denman did not follow. The 9-year-old whose fast pace broke Kauto Star a year ago was found to have minor heart trouble last November and did not have the strength and power to come back to his stablemate this time, leaving Walsh alone in the uphill charge to the line. Exotic Dancer, ridden by champion jockey Tony McCoy, got up to take third 2½ lengths behind Denman. Neptune Collonges placed fourth which meant Nicholls, who had five runners in the field, had first, second and fourth after last year's 1-2-3. “He's fit, he's fresh, he was never going to get beat today,” Nicholls said of the winner. “But what a race Denman ran. It was a huge run from him and he'll be back next year. Queen Elizabeth II was at the meet to see her horse, Barber's Shop, finish seventh in the race as a 10-1 shot. Walsh collected his sixth victory of the meeting when American Trilogy raced away from the field by 11 lengths in the Vincent O'Brien County Handicap Hurdle. “It's great to have ridden six winners. It's not something you think you are ever going to do,” Walsh said before his Gold Cup triumph.
