When Kicking King retired from racing in 2008, he had won 12 of his 28 races – including the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the King George VI Chase (twice) – and amassed over £800,000 in total prize money. Owner Conor Clarkson said at the time, “…I have so many great memories and words cannot express my gratitude to Tom [Taafe, trainer]; he picked him out as a foal and did amazingly well with him.”
Kicking King is best known for his victory in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2005, but had actually been withdrawn by Tom Taafe two weeks ahead of the race on health grounds only to be reinstated later. In any event, the 7-year-old was backed into 4/1 favourite on the day and was at the front of the queue for many prominent tipster’s horse racing tips for that day. He duly produced an immaculate round of jumping under Barry Geraghty, taking up the running at the third last fence and staying on strongly to beat Take The Stand by 5 lengths. Geraghty said afterwards, “I was running away all the time, jumping brilliantly over the last three.”
It was actually third time lucky for Kicking King at the Cheltenham Festival, having finished second in the Arkle Challenge Trophy in 2003 and second in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle in 2004. He injured a tendon when winning a second consecutive King George VI Chase – staged at Sandown while Kempton was being redeveloped – in 2005 and never won again, but his place in the Cheltenham Festival scrapbook was already guaranteed.