Kauto Star defends his Gold Cup crown next month

Kauto Star completed preparations for his defence of next month's Cheltenham Gold Cup with a convincing victory in the Ascot Chase on Saturday.

Jockey Ruby Walsh bided his time before hitting the front three fences out to win the 2m 5�f race by eight lengths.

The Paul Nicholls-trained 4-11 favourite beat Monet's Garden with Racing Demon a further neck adrift.

Kauto Star, the two-time King George VI winner, will go to the Gold Cup as an even shorter-priced 8/11 favourite.

Interview: Kauto Star's trainer Paul Nicholls

The 3m 2�f Cheltenham showpiece, which will pit Kauto Star against highly fancied stable-mate Denman, takes place on 14 March.

I've got a certain amount of loyalty to Kauto Star as he is the reigning Gold Cup champion Trainer Paul Nicholls

See You Sometime and then Fair Along set a strong gallop from the outset with Walsh happy to head the chasing pack some distance behind.

Fair Along took over the pacemaking on his own but came back to the field by the 13th of 17 fences and two obstacles later, Walsh made his move.

"I wanted him ridden positively. There's no point dropping him out the door and riding him negative," Nicholls told BBC Sport.

"Ride him positive - he stays and jumps better. I said to Ruby this morning that I wanted him third or fourth and just track through. That's the way to ride him and he jumped great.

"I think he's as well as he's ever been. He looks great. We've left plenty to work on again but he was probably a lot fitter than Denman was as he's that type of horse. We just have a month now to keep him spot on.

606: DEBATE No way Denman will have the turn of foot to stay with this modern day great GG_man

"I'm lucky that I've got a great team at home. We've worked hard to train both horses. They will be trained to turn up at Cheltenham on Gold Cup day at their very best.

"I've got a certain amount of loyalty to Kauto Star as he is the reigning champion. You can see from today's performance he'll be very hard to beat."

In Ireland, 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Kicking King finished a disappointing third behind shock winner Ballistraw in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park.

Kicking King failed to make a serious challenge as Ballistraw, the 33-1 outsider of four, snatched the win by three-quarters of a length from Knight Legend.

Kicking King's trainer Tom Taaffe said: "Obviously I'd have been much happier if he'd have won.

"If he's still fine in the next couple of days it's still onwards for the Gold Cup.

"There'll be no pressure now going into the Gold Cup. I always said from day one I was training him for one day and I still am."

Meanwhile, Miko de Beauchene followed up his Welsh National win with victory in Haydock's Red Square Vodka Gold Cup.

The eight-year-old, trained by Robert and Sally Alner, was made to work hard before edging outsider Flintoff by a length.

Commercial First Ascot Chase
2m 5�f, Grade One
1. Kauto Star (R Walsh) 4-11 fav
2. Monet's Garden (A Dobbin) 6-1
3. Racing Demon (Paul Moloney) 15-2
9 ran

Red Mills Chase, Gowran Park
2m 4f, Grade 2
1. Ballistraw (Andrew J McNamara) 33-1
2. Knight Legend (A D Leigh) 6-1
3. Kicking King (B J Geraghty) 10-11 fav
5 ran

Red Square Vodka Gold Cup Chase, Haydock
3m 4�f, Grade 3
1. Miko de Beauchene (A Thornton) 17-2
2. Flintoff (A Coleman) 66-1
3. L'aventure (Mr N Scholfield) 14-1
4. D'Argent (J A McCarthy) 16-1
16 ran