Kicking King is a National Hunt racehorse trained in Straffan, Co. Kildare, Ireland, by Tom Taaffe. He is best known for his victory in the 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup, the major Chase run at the Cheltenham Festival. He also won the King George VI Chase in 2004 and 2005: once at Kempton and once at Sandown Park, when the race was relocated due to the development of an all-weather track at Kempton. His Boxing Day win on Sunday 26 December was a first; when See More Business won the race in 1999, Christmas Sunday was still observed, so that year the race was first-scheduled for the Monday. Thus he was the first horse to win twice on non-weekdays. He was second twice in previous Cheltenham Festivals, in the 2003 Supreme Novices' Hurdle, and in the 2004 Arkle Challenge Trophy.