Paul Nicholls believes Kauto Star is in "the form of his life" as the days count down to the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Unbeaten from five starts in a surprisingly busy campaign, the 7 to 4 favourite with the sponsors for jumping's blue riband turned on the media charm as countless camera crews, photographers and journalists visited his Somerset home yesterday.
The gelding emerged fighting fit from his narrow victory in the Aon Chase at Newbury earlier in the month and will just be kept ticking over before his date with destiny in three weeks' time.
"He's not stood still since Newbury - we've been hammering the work into him," said Nicholls. "Ruby Walsh came down to school him yesterday and couldn't believe how fresh and buzzy he was. He came out of Newbury well and we had him jumping barrels and all sorts and he jumped beautifully.
"For the races he's had, he's kept his condition remarkably well but it's not like he's had a hard race yet - every time he's come back, you could run him again within a week. He'll school next week too and the week after, it's pretty much the routine."
Much has been made of Kauto Star's final-fence jumping blunders in the Stan James King George VI Chase and the Aon, but champion trainer Nicholls was again keen to point out it was not something that could be ironed out: "If he was a horse that was a bad jumper you would be worried but he just makes a couple of mistakes - he's never looked like falling over.
"Every time you school him, he's exceptional. A lot of horses have made mistakes at the last at Kempton, possibly with the crowds and everything so close, they just take their eyes off it."
Stamina doubts are the other issue surrounding Kauto Star, who started off his British career as a two-mile chaser and will be going further than he has ever been before in the Gold Cup. "My head lad, Clifford Baker, and I always thought he was a stayer and definitely going over a trip suits," rebuffed Nicholls. "I'm not saying we definitely know he'll stay, but over three miles in the Betfair Chase at Haydock everyone said he wouldn't stay and he could have gone around again. He's in the form of his life and he thrives on racing. If he runs well in the Gold Cup then we would probably go on to Aintree."
Nicholls nominated Jonjo O'Neill's Exotic Dancer as a threat. "I think Kauto's biggest danger is himself but Exotic Dancer has done really well and the big plus is that he has done it at Cheltenham. A lot of the others have been disappointing and you cannot see many new horses coming out of the woodwork. State Of Play was a good winner of the Hennessy, but he'll still have to improve enormously to win."
