Denman and Sam Thomas

Denman and Sam Thomas, originally uploaded by CharlesFred.

Denman is also a might fine horse, who although does not have the record of Kauto Star in terms of winning lots of Championship races, he does seem to engender more sympathy with the public. This maybe because he has carried high weights in handicaps such as the Hennessy Cognc Gold Cup, which he has won twice. It is also the way he wins his races through total domination. However, he suffered from a heart problem after winning his Gold Cup in 2008 and although he has run two extremely good races since then, he also has fallen twice, which ahs people wondering if he might have lost his confiodence. It certainly diodn't look like that back in November and if the same Denman truns up today, he could very easily beat his old rival. I would love that tio happen but I don't quite see it happening.

We will find out just after 15.20 GMT this afternoon.

Denman came second.... but not to Kauto Star, as we might have expoected but to the (eventualy) inevitable new-boy-on-the-block, Imperial Commander. History should have told us that rarely do Gold Cup winners ever come back to win a second time. Kauto Star had been the first horse ever to regain his crown when he did so last year. Yes, the Gold Cup is almost al;ways won by a hprse which has never won it before. Maybe we thought that history had been suspended for a bit, but no, it grinds on...