RACING NEWS:PAUL NICHOLLS and Clive Smith are weighing up their options for the King George VI Chase at Kempton after both Kauto Star and Master Minded staked their claims for the St Stephen's Day highlight with victories on Saturday.

Many had written off Kauto Star after he was pulled up at Punchestown at the end of last season having been left chasing Long Run’s shadow on a couple of occasions.

But the 11-year-old silenced any doubters by giving his younger rival a good beating in the Betfair Chase and Nicholls believes he has earned the right to bid for a remarkable fifth win in the King George.

Master Minded has had the three-mile Kempton prize as his primary objective since the start of the campaign and he looked to be right back to his best when winning the Amlin 1965 Chase at Ascot. “It’s going to make things interesting now,” said the champion trainer “Clive and I will have to sit down and have a good chat and make a bit of a gameplan.

“I’m astounded at how well Kauto has come out of yesterday. He’s eaten up this morning and he’s as bright as a button.

“When he won the King George a couple of years ago, which was probably his best ever performance, he routed everything and walked into the winner’s enclosure like he’d not done anything.

“Last season for what ever reason he was finishing tired, but yesterday he was like he was two years ago – you’d hardly know he’d had a race. He mystifies me and we’ve got five weeks, so we’ll see. Certainly on yesterday’s run he’s entitled to be back there again.”

Nicholls was delighted to see his veteran silence the doubters on Merseyside and admits it was day he’ll never forget.

“It was one of the best days of racing I’ve experienced. The whole event, the emotion and everything about it was just brilliant,” Nicholls said.

“What’s frustrating is all these people who keep saying that (Kauto Star should be retired) don’t actually know the horse. We at home know him better than anybody and people ought to know by now I wouldn’t take any chances and run him if he wasn’t right.”

Ruby Walsh was the man in the saddle on Kauto Star and feels his superb performance proved he is not ready for retirement just yet.

“He’s 11, he’s not 14. He got beaten in the King George and the Gold Cup and people don’t want to see a great horse on the way down, but Paul was confident he’d get him back and he did,” Walsh said.

“I watched the replay a few times last night and again this morning. It was a wonderful performance from him.”

Should Kauto Star and Master Minded line up in the King George, Walsh will of course have to decide which to ride, but he is refusing to look that far ahead.

“It’s great to be here. This time last year I was watching on television feeling rather sorry for myself. What is going to happen at Christmas, I couldn’t really care less, I just want to be there,” Walsh added.