LEGENDARY jumps horse Kicking King has died at the age of 25.
Trained in Ireland by Tom Taaffe, he won six Grade 1 races including the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup and back-to-back King Georges in 2004-05.
PAKicking King won the Gold Cup in 2005[/caption]
He spent over two years on the sidelines with a tendon injury following his final King George victory.
And having failed to rediscover his best form, he was retired in 2008 to live a life of luxury at the Irish National Stud alongside other ‘Living Legends’ including Hardy Eustace, Hurricane Fly and Faugheen.
The Irish National Stud confirmed the sad news on Tuesday evening, and Taaffe said in a statement: “Kicking King was a natural, athletic horse with balance.
“He was a great horse for Conor Clarkson (owner), Barry Geraghty and all our staff.
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“He was an ambassador for racing and was fortunate to have a second life in the exceptional care of the Irish National Stud.
“He gave the Taaffe family many special moments, but I particularly recall the day he won the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown.
“John was a great friend to us all and that day Kicking King put up a special performance of jumping and galloping.
“The Gold Cup was what you dream of. We were lucky to have him.”
Top jockey Geraghty, who retired in 2020, rode Kicking King in all but two of his 28 career starts.
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He said: “It is very sad news to hear Kicking King has passed away. He was a real star, a big powerful horse who loved his racing. A legend.
“He was a big powerful horse who just loved his racing. He provided me, Tom and his owner with some special days.
“He put in brilliant performances winning the Gold Cup and two King Georges. I loved visiting him at the Irish National Stud with my family and they cared after him so well.”
Racing fans also paid tribute to a legend of the turf on social media.
One said: “So sad to hear of the passing of an absolute star! Rest peacefully fella.”
Another posted: “I had the joy to meet him when I visited the Irish stud and such an privilege to meet such legends. RIP sleep tight thank you for amazing memories.”
While another added: “My friends and I were lucky to feed him some carrots last year. RIP beautiful boy!”
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