Kauto rated highest at annual jumps awards

KAUTO Star was awarded a rating of 190 at the Anglo-Irish Jump Racing Awards during a ceremony in London yesterday.

The mark is the highest in 11 years of the classifications, at which the Paul Nicholls-trained ten-year-old was named Champion Three Mile + chaser for the third time.

Another first for the classifications was having three horses rated over 180. Imperial Commander was handed a rating of 185 for his totesport Gold Cup victory – the third-highest rating ever given – and Gold Cup runner-up Denman allotted a mark of 182 for his superb weight-carrying performance in the Hennessy.

Nicholls also trains leading staying hurdler Big Buck's, who was given a rating of 174 in winning that award for the second successive year.

To cap a great year, Nicholls, who was champion trainer for a fifth time, also collected the leading two-mile novice chase award with Tataniano who shared the prize with Arkle winner Sizing Europe (160).

The champion two-mile chase crown went to Colm Murphy's Big Zeb (174) courtesy of his victory in the Queen Mother, while Nicky Henderson's Binocular (173) retained the two-mile hurdlers' title.

His jockey, AP McCoy, was on hand to collect his 15th champion jockey title.

Meanwhile, Frankie Dettori timed his run to perfection on Frozen Power to win the German 2000 Guineas at Cologne yesterday. The Group 2 success gives Godolphin's new trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni his biggest win to date. Sent off the 6-4 favourite, Dettori and Frozen Power got up late on to beat Kite Hunter in a blanket finish.