Kauto Star and Long Run will vie for dominance as the two great rivals go head-to-head in Friday’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The pair are facing each other for the fifth time and are tied at two wins each, with Kauto Star at 7/2 with bookmaker to go in front on Friday after battling to recover from injury.
Long Run won the first two contests between the two, including the Gold Cup in 2011, but Kauto Star stormed back to level the score with triumphs in Haydock’s Betfair Chase and Boxing Day’s King George VI Chase.
“The score is 2-2 and this is the decider, so let’s hope it’s a great race,” said Long Run’s trainer Nicky Henderson.
“We’re happy where we are and Paul Nicholls is happy where he is and I’d have been genuinely sad if Kauto Star came there and wasn’t at his best.
“Kauto Star thumped us two times, so we’ve got to get back and beat him.”
