The 12 year-old was pulled up in last week\'s Cheltenham Gold Cup, but Nicholls had faced a race against time to get the legendary chaser back to full fitness after a schooling fall a fortnight before the race left his participation in the balance. Nicholls believed Kauto Star was right back to his best after a racecourse gallop at Wincanton and a schooling session at home, but Ruby Walsh was sending out distress signals from an early stage and Nicholls believes he overstretched at the water jump. \"We just ran out of time with him. But Kauto is 100 per cent, and we will canter him away and rough him off for the summer and see where we stand when he comes back in,\" he said. \"But any talk of retirement is very premature. Clive [Smith, owner] and I haven\'t even discussed it, and I dare say we won\'t in any great detail until Kauto comes back in, in July. \"This season told everyone not to be so hasty in writing him off.\"