Trainer Willie Mullins has threatened to stop bringing his best horses to Cheltenham Festival over the condition of the racecourse following the late withdrawal of Fact to File in the Ryanair Chase.
Racegoers were rocked on Thursday by the news that odds-on favourite Fact To File would not run in the feature race of St Patrick’s Thursday.
Mullins, in combination with owner JP McManus, had earlier revealed concern over the ground and maintained the star horse would not race unless rain fell in the area hours before the 4:00pm GMT race.
And after pulling the horse out, Mullins has vented his frustration at the condition and, what he maintains, an unfulfilled promise over watering the course, leading him to threaten to stop bringing the best from his stable in future years.
”I walked it, coming across the track, from exercising horses, looking at Bambino Favor, I said, 'wow, this ground is going to be too good for her,' sure enough, she wasn't able to act on it,” Mullins told Racing TV.
“Talking to JP, these horses are too good to get and acquire, when you have them, you mind them, we waited and waited for rain, and it hasn't come, they're too hard to find and get, it's jump racing, we want soft in the ground, good ground, we think it's not good enough for the type of individual we're buying and trying to race and have the top horses in the best festival, if the ground is like this, we won't bring them.
“I think [Cheltenham should have done more], we were promised watering, and I'm not sure the watering has been done. I'm a bit annoyed about that. I thought there would be more watering done, I know the forecast hasn't been kind. This isn't good for the type of horses we're bringing over here, for the majority, we'd like it a bit softer."
As early as Thursday morning Fact To File was the Evens favourite to regain his crown in the champion race of St. Patrick’s Thursday having been chosen to compete in this one over Friday’s Gold Cup.
“I left it to Willy, but I can overrule him,” McManus said at the time in a conversation with ITV Sport, with only light rain in the area. “I have to say I found it, too much for him, I was a bit, part of the course, altogether, not to my liking
“I've walked the track every day, they've done a great job, but I think they could've done more, especially at the top of the track, not everyone would agree with me, if there's significant rain, he'll run, if there's not, he won't.”
While McManus' racing manager Frank Berry said earlier in the day on Thursday: "I’m very worried about the ground, it’s up in the air at the moment.”
The Ryanair chase is a Grade 1 race for five-year olds and upwards and is run over an intermediate trip of two miles, four and a half furlongs. It is a medium distance race which prefers horse that may find the extended length of the Gold Cup too much to handle.
Fact To File excelled in this race a year ago having sat behind the leading trio of horses for the majority of the race before being eased past them by jockey Mark Walsh at the third to last jump. From there he leapt over the final fence clear of the field and cantered to a nine-length victory. It was the type of performance that the nine-year-old was expected to repeat this afternoon, if given the chance.
Without Fact to File, Heart Wood stormed to victory, beating out favourite Jonbon, also owned by McManus, who was condemned to second once again.
The going on the course was Good, Good to Soft and despite a consistent downpour of rain in the morning, it was not sufficiently softened for McManus’ team to believe Fact To File would perform at his best.
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