Kauto Star hailed as 'horse of a lifetime' by Ruby Walsh after decision taken to retire Cheltenham Gold Cup star He was an amazing horse to ride and an amazing horse to be part of and I loved every minute of riding him. I remember going to Newbury to ride him (on his first run in Britain) and thinking, 'This is half an Arkle'. Paul said he was a nice horse and he came down the straight with his head in his chest. I had so much horse underneath me and from that day I was in love with him. He had a few knocks and a few setbacks but he was always an exceptional horse and a tough horse. He came back from hard races and heavy falls. He just kept coming back and getting back up to Grade One level again. He was a little indecisive (when jumping), so you always then had to be decisive. I have some amazing memories, so many good days. He was a wonderful horse to be riding and a wonderful horse to have in your life. Jockey Sam Thomas, who won the 2008 Cheltenham Gold Cup aboard Denman, partnered Kauto to glory in the 2007 Betfair Chase at Haydock. He said: "I was lucky enough to ride him and win on him and he has been a very special horse. He did an enormous amount to raise the profile of National Hunt racing and I think enormous credit has to go to Paul Nicholls for producing to win all those big races on the big days. To win two Gold Cups, Tingle Creeks and five King Georges is incredible and he might not have done that had he been trained by anyone else. It's a shame we won't see him run again but at least he will be able to enjoy his retirement with his old friend Denman. I think Kauto's record will struggle to be beaten in my generation and now he's retired, along with Denman, it's the end of an era. The battles between the two of them were a big part of my career and part of my life that I'll never forget. Kauto was a wonder horse and we might not see the likes of him and Denman again.