Many owners will happily admit that to have one top-class thoroughbred borders on bliss, while more than that is the thing of dreams.
With this in mind, Clive Smith must be one of the most fortunate individuals ever to draw breath, with not only the great Kauto Star carrying his colours, but also an animal named Master Minded, who happens to be the champion chaser, and yesterday the man was happy to discuss his boys and how they are at this time of the season.
Smith claims Kauto Star, the former Cheltenham Gold Cup winner is "full of beans" ahead of his seasonal reappearance in the Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday. The eight-year-old relinquished his Festival crown to Denman in a gruelling renewal of the blue riband event last March and also suffered a reverse at Aintree against Our Vic.
However, Smith is confident Kauto Star has been refreshed by a summer break and is expecting a bold show. "Paul Nicholls the trainer is very pleased with him, his jumping is very sharp and he's full of beans really," said Smith. "He's a bit livelier than he was this time last year.
"He probably should not have been at Aintree after all the build-up there had been for Cheltenham, as he had a very hard race there and three weeks later we were looking at Aintree. I think a lot of horses take time to recover and those races at Cheltenham take an awful lot out of them.
"If you looked at his last three races before the Gold Cup, his jumping was immaculate, at Haydock, in the King George and at Ascot. He just didn't quite have his day in the Gold Cup, but we'll see how he goes this year - if he gets there."
The owner added: "We'd like to go to Haydock after Saturday, we've won the Betfair Chase twice and his big early-season target is the King George. We hope we can have a better run in the Gold Cup this year and I'd be delighted if he could win it again, but that is a long way away."
As regards Master Minded, Smith has his fingers crossed that his Champion Chase hero can be consistent at the highest level throughout the season. He became the highest-rated National Hunt horse in training after his fine performance at Cheltenham in March.
It was a surprise to many that he was beaten by Voy Por Ustedes at Aintree after he was left trailing in his wake at Cheltenham. While Smith acknowledges that his horse has a huge amount of ability, he wants him to show it on a regular basis ahead of a likely reappearance in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown on December 6.
"Paul Nicholls thinks he has come on a lot over the summer and he has developed a bit more," said Smith. "We think he will be very, very good again and he is a wonderful horse who looks immaculate at the moment.
"His Champion Chase win was breathtaking and if he can develop into as consistent a horse as Kauto Star, I would feel very happy. We just have to hope he can run up to his mark all the time. Kauto has been brilliant in that way, but we will just see how Master Minded does as he has all the talent."
Returning to the Down Royal race at the weekend, the main opposition to Kauto Star is likely to come from The Listener, having his first run for fledgling trainer Nick Mitchell. He will still have usual partner Daryl Jacob in the saddle. "I went down to school him over 10 fences at Nick Mitchell's the other day and he seems in great form and I'm really looking forward to riding him again," said Jacob.
"He likes it in Ireland. While the Grade Ones are tough, they are not as competitive as in England, but he looks up against it with Kauto Star this time though. Nick thinks he'll run well and it will be a great race. Hopefully it will be soft enough for us and that will be to our advantage.
"Last year he was very fresh in this race and unseated me ,but when I sat on him last week, he felt in good form and I think he's straight enough."
Jessica Harrington's Knight Legend will also line up but the trainer is well aware of the task he faces. "Knight Legend is very well and he is a definite runner at Down Royal," she said. "He did it very well on his reappearance and is now stepping back up to three miles.
"However, he has ran well over the trip before and we will just see how it goes."
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