Cheltenham Gold Cup 2005

The 2005 Cheltenham Festival was the first to be staged over four days, rather than three, such that the Cheltenham Gold Cup was moved from its traditional Thursday to Friday. The 2005 renewal of the Cheltenham Gold Cup was also the first for four years without Best Mate, who was denied the opportunity to attempt a four-timer after bursting a blood vessel a week beforehand. In fact, Best Mate would race just once more, tragically suffering a fatal heart attack on his reapperance at Exeter the following November.

In the absence of the three-time winner, 15 horses went to post and the market was headed by the King George VI winner, Kicking King, trained by Tom Taaffe and ridden by Barry Geraghty, at 4/1. In a tight betting heat, the favourite was closely attended by Celestial Gold at 9/2 and Strong Flow and Beef Or Salmon, both at 5/1, although none of that trio were involved in the finish.

Kicking King, on the other hand, most definitely was; having tackled the weakening leader, Grey Abbey, approaching the third-last fence, the seven-year-old soon saw off the challenge of Take The Stand and ran on strongly on the run-in to win by 5 lengths. Sir Rembrandt, who had been a strong-finishing second in 2004, kept on to finish third, a further 8 lengths away, without ever really threatening to win.

Kicking King was the first Cheltenham Gold Cup winner for Taaffe – whose father, Pat, won the race four times as a jockey – and the first to be trained in Ireland since Imperial Call in 1996. Winning jockey Geraghty said of his victory, “I was running away all the time, jumping brilliantly over the last three.”