Kauto Star “fine”, says Smith

Nicholls was forced to cancel a pre-Cheltenham media day at his base in Somerset on Monday when it was revealed he had “several horses coughing”.
He said he had no alternative but to close his doors to the press because of the risk of it spreading ahead of the 2012 Cheltenham Festival.
He said: “It is fairly obvious that we had a moderate weekend. We have several horses coughing and my first priority is to the owners in my yard.
“It is my duty to leave no stone unturned now as we prepare for the last three weeks before The Festival and, in these circumstances, we do not feel it is appropriate to invite the media on Wednesday.
“I am very sorry for any inconvenience this causes, but I hope that all concerned will understand that my horses and owners must come first.”
Clive Smith, the owner of Kauto Star, revealed he had spoken to Nicholls and was told the two-time Gold Cup winner Star was not affected.
“I talked to Paul on Sunday night and everything is fine with Kauto Star as far as we know,” said Smith.
“Obviously Paul’s got an outbreak and one or two of his horses have got it, but hopefully it won’t affect Kauto Star.”
He added: “I hope he doesn’t get it as it might interrupt his programme. The Gold Cup is not far away now - it’s three weeks on Friday.”