The Return of the King

[my miss storm cat]

Come home safe.

From Sporting life.....

KING READY FOR RETURN

By Ben Linfoot


Kicking King is ready for his return to action at Fairyhouse on Sunday.

Tom Taaffe's 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner hasn't been seen since the December of the same year following injury but is now set to return in the Normans Grove Chase run over two miles.

He is also entered in a listed hurdle at Naas on Saturday, however that is only a precaution should Fairyhouse be called-off due to the wet weather.

Taaffe told Sportinglife.com: "We are in the job of getting horses to the racetrack and trying to win races, it's part of our daily operation and we are looking forward to getting him back now.


"Allowing for the weather it looks like Fairyhouse will go ahead now and if it does we will run him there."

Taaffe is concerned that it would be too much for his stable star to run in a three mile chase on heavy ground on his return, which is why he returns over the minimum trip.


He continued: "It's all about getting him back into a competitive position for the Gold Cup and this is a stepping stone towards it. The ground is heavy in Ireland and I don't want to run him over three miles on it.


"This is an ideal conditions race in the programme to run him in.


"Heavy ground is possibly less than ideal but there is nothing we can do about it - that's why he runs over the shorter trip."