Connections of Kauto Star will not be rushing into a decision on the great horse's future despite the 11-year-old being pulled up in the Punchestown Guinness Gold Cup.
Having run a terrific race when third at Cheltenham in his attempt to land a third Gold Cup, the Paul Nicholls-trained gelding was sent off the 10-11 favourite to end his season with victory.
But in a dramatic renewal, Ruby Walsh pulled Kauto Star up before four out as Oliver McKiernan's Follow The Plan (20-1) took full advantage of a last-fence fall by Roberto Goldback to come home clear of Vic Venturi and Rare Bob.
Nicholls said: "I said to (partner) Georgie (Browne) before the race that I didn't care where he finished as long as he came back safe and sound and after he'd jumped three or four it was obvious where he would finish. He was not firing today.
"I'd done things a bit differently with him this year and had him fine-tuned for Cheltenham and then might have been a bit easy with him before this. But I'm not going to make any rash decisions based on one run. You could have a six-year-old that runs badly at this time of year and then comes back.
"We were in unknown territory running him in May and he'll have a summer's grass now. It's hard to judge on one run, but if he came back in the autumn and ran once more like that then obviously we would retire him."
Walsh said: "Kauto never jumped better than he did today but he never travelled."
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