Sizing John became a dramatic late withdrawal from next week’s Cheltenham Gold Cup when last year’s winner of the prestigious race was found to have a pelvic injury. His trainer, Jessica Harrington, announced the news through social media on Thursday evening.
“With a heavy heart,” Harrington announced that her vet had found “a hairline non-displaced fracture” in Sizing John’s pelvis. The horse had a routine canter on Thursday morning, when his regular jockey, Robbie Power, reported that something felt amiss, leading to the fateful examination later in the day.
Harrington said two weeks’ box rest would be necessary and added that Sizing John would then be “off on his holidays”. The eight-year-old may well be able to return to the track next winter. The news is not only a blow to Harrington and to the Potts family who own Sizing John but to the sport, since reigning champions add so much interest to Festival races. He becomes the third consecutive Gold Cup winner who was then unfit to line up the following year, following Coneygree and Don Cossack.
Might Bite has hardened at the top of the betting for next Friday’s race and is now no bigger than 100-30, having been 4-1 on Thursday morning. Native River is a 5-1 shot while Harrington can take consolation in still having the third-favourite in Our Duke at 7-1.
Power is now expected to ride Our Duke, displacing Noel Fehily, who might end up on one of JP McManus’s four Gold Cup entrants.
Ruby Walsh, meanwhile, got straight back in the winning habit with his first ride after an absence of almost four months, looking fit and effective as he guided Lareena to a five-length success at Thurles. It was only a low-key maiden hurdle and he was on the favourite but there seems little doubt that Willie Mullins now has a healthy jockey to ride his fleet of fancied runners at Cheltenham.
“I thought I was all right, anyway,” Walsh said, when asked to assess his own state of fitness. “She won, didn’t she?” Just five days before the Festival, this comeback was cutting it rather fine and there had been some loose talk in the past fortnight that perhaps, at 38, the great man was finding his bones no longer knit back together as readily as they did 20 years ago. Under Walsh’s original plan, formed soon after he broke a leg in November, he would have been back in action for a fortnight by now.
Of his plans between now and Tuesday, Walsh said: “We’ll see what Willie decides but I don’t mind and I’ll do whatever Willie wants me to do. When you’re back, you’re back and he’s my boss now again.”
Bryony Frost was another high-profile jockey to enjoy success from just one ride on Thursday. The popular youngster marked International Women’s Day with victory at Wincanton on Moabit, who looked like being no better than third at the top of the straight.
Ayr 1.50 Snougar 2.20 Skywards Reward 2.50 Acdc 3.25 Charmant 4.00 Lake View Lad 4.30 Massini’s Lady 5.05 Chu Chu Percy
Leicester 2.10 Bollin Ace 2.40 Newberry New 3.15 Trojan Star 3.50 Finnegan’s Garden 4.20 Rouge Et Blanc 4.55 Alberto’s Dream
Newcastle 5.45 Natch 6.15 Team Showme 6.45 Lukoutoldmakezebak 7.15 Ravenhoe 7.45 Darkest Light 8.15 Grandfather Tom (nap) 8.45 Fuel Injection
Sandown 2.00 Brianstorm 2.30 No Hiding Place 3.05 Soul Emotion 3.40 Rathlin Rose 4.10 Big Jim 4.45 Lip Service (nb)
