Cheltenham wouldn't be Cheltenham without a late injury scare to one of the leading contenders, and it's Altior's unwelcome lot to be the one this time. The participation of Nicky Henderson's star in Wednesday's Queen Mother Champion Chase is in doubt after he was found to be lame on Sunday.
"Unfortunately Altior was lame this morning due to an old split that has been dormant. It's never bothered him before and typically it rears its ugly head now.
“We are working away, there’s lots we can do. We have two days, but it’s an uphill battle. We have the treadmill he can go on and it’s very cold water which helps these things a lot.
“We have to keep going. We’re working away, and we’ll either get lucky or we won’t. He was sound as a pound yesterday – you wouldn’t have seen a sounder horse,” said Henderson.
Final declarations for day two of Cheltenham take place on Monday, and Altior is likely to be named in the final field for a race widely regarded among the likely highlights of the whole festival.
Defi Du Seuil and Altior's clash with Willie Mullins's big hope Chacun Pour Soi has been eagerly anticipated for weeks. However this injury blow has seen Altior slide in betting for the race and Defi Du Seuil take over as 15-8 favourite in some lists.
Altior has won at the Cheltenham Festival for the last four years. If he makes Wednesday’s race and emerges on top he will become just the second horse ever to win land the two-mile championship three times. Badsworth Boy in the 1980s is the only horse ever to complete a hat-trick.
Unbeaten novice
Fears of very testing ground conditions for this week's action looks like being unfounded after Gordon Elliott's decision to not declare his unbeaten novice Envoi Allen for Tuesday's opener.
Elliott had opened the possibility of switching Envoi Allen to the Supreme if the going turned very soft. However, after walking the course on Sunday morning he confirmed Wednesday's Ballymore Novices Hurdle is the target.
“We walked the track at 7am and it’s beautiful soft ground, yielding to soft probably in places. The track is in great condition.
“If the ground had turned up heavy or soft to heavy we would have had to consider it [Supreme]. But I think it will be beautiful ground on Tuesday and Wednesday, hopefully, so we’re going to go with our original plan,” said Elliott.
The first wave of about 50 runners the Co Meath trainer plans to run this week arrived over at the weekend, including Coeur Sublime, who will be his contender for Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle.
A total of 17 have been declared for the hurdling championship, including seven Irish-trained contenders in all.
Mullins has won the Champion Hurdle four times already, and will have two runners. Paul Townend is set to team up with the supplemented Cilaos Emery, while Mullins's son Patrick will ride Sharjah.
Four runners
Henderson is the most successful trainer in Champion Hurdle history with seven victories, and he will have four runners including the favourite Epatante.
Gavin Cromwell won last year with the ill-fated Espoir D'allen, and relies on Darver Star this time. Jessica Harrington – a winner six years ago thanks to Jezki – will saddle Supasundae.
As expected the unbeaten mare Honeysuckle was taken out of the Champion Hurdle on Sunday and will instead line up against Benie Des Dieux in Tuesday’s Close Bros Mares Hurdle.
The weather outlook for the early part of the week at Cheltenham looks favourable. “There could be a little rain on Monday afternoon. Beyond Tuesday it’s looking like being a mainly dry week, so maybe on the new course, which always rides a bit quicker than the old, there is an outside it might round at best to good to soft, soft in places,” said a course spokesman.
