By Cornelius Lysaght BBC racing correspondent

Amid the slightly mixed reviews received by Kauto Star, the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, after his gallant Aintree defeat by Monet's Garden, for me two notices stood out.

Both can be filed as positives, and both came from people with interests that would be described as not just a bit, but extremely vested.

Significantly, 'vested' not because they came from close to the country's star steeplechaser, who this season defends his King George VI Chase and Gold Cup crowns, but because they emanated from opposing camps.

If you missed Sunday's Old Roan Handicap Chase, the 2� mile race that last year launched the Paul Nicholls-trained horse on the road to superstardom, this time around, sent off as 13-8 favourite, the champion was runner-up.

The King George and Gold Cup second Exotic Dancer was a well-beaten third.

Those that lead for Kauto Star's defence, like Nicholls and jockey Ruby Walsh, insist that it was a fine run at the start of a long season, and that the horse will be 'spot on' for his first major target, the 3-mile Betfair Chase at Haydock in a month.

They additionally point to the fact that he was conceding a stone to the 'highly talented' winner - everyone will carry the same in his later races - that the distance was too short and that he only went down narrowly (1� lengths).

606: DEBATE Hit or miss? Your verdict on Kauto Star's return

The sceptics, meanwhile, claim that the horse was never going that well during the race, and Walsh had to 'get serious with him', halfway through it.

The sight of Kauto Star, the winner of six races from six starts last year, being encouraged along, with the jockey even resorting to his whip at one stage, was hard for them to swallow.

Personally, I am with the Nicholls team for now, a view emboldened by listening afterwards to those vested interests: Nicky Richards, trainer of Monet's Garden and Jonjo O'Neill, responsible for Exotic Dancer.

Richards - beaming after a notable success - told me: "I think what you'd have to say is what a fantastic effort by the favourite. That was a great, great performance by Kauto, giving us all that weight."

I'm sure Kauto Star will be back in the winners' circle sooner rather than later

And O'Neill was equally impressed.

"My horse will come on for the run, and goes to Haydock, to take on Kauto again," he said.

"But I'm afraid he looks like the best. Kauto Star was great today, and he looks the best around, simple as that, running like that with all that weight on his back."

Two people who, as they probably don't say in racing, know their onions: I'm sure Kauto Star will be back in the winners' circle sooner rather than later.