EIGHT-TIME GRADE One winner Solwhit, will not line up to attempt to defend his World Hurdle title at Cheltenham in March, trainer Charles Byrnes has confirmed, with the 10-year-old still struggling to recover from a fetlock injury.
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Byrnes’ charge missed his intended reappearance at Leopardstown over Christmas and is now set to have six weeks box rest to try and solve the fetlock problem, meaning he will miss this season’s festival.
Byrnes has not ruled out Solwhit’s chances of appearing later in the season at Aintree or Punchestown however.
“He’s not going to Cheltenham and he will have to get a longer break,” he said this morning. “I don’t know if he will be back later in the year – we’ll see, as it is not a serious injury.
“I was hoping a week’s rest after Leopardstown would sort him but he has not improved and we had to make a decision to give him six weeks’ box rest. Cheltenham is definitely out so and, with the ground possibly drying out at Punchestown, we’ll have to make a decision before then as to whether it’s worthwhile or not to go there.”
Byrnes added: “He will definitely be back next year. It’s a sickener but that’s the way it is and we are over it now.”
Big Bucks has been shortened into 9/4 favourite to regain his World Hurdle title after the withdrawal of Solwhit, with the quandary that is Annie Power next best at 4/1.
Solwhit to miss World Hurdle defence
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EIGHT-TIME GRADE One winner Solwhit, will not line up to attempt to defend his World Hurdle title at Cheltenham in March, trainer Charles Byrnes has confirmed, with the 10-year-old still struggling to recover from a fetlock injury.
Byrnes’ charge missed his intended reappearance at Leopardstown over Christmas and is now set to have six weeks box rest to try and solve the fetlock problem, meaning he will miss this season’s festival.
Byrnes has not ruled out Solwhit’s chances of appearing later in the season at Aintree or Punchestown however.
“I was hoping a week’s rest after Leopardstown would sort him but he has not improved and we had to make a decision to give him six weeks’ box rest. Cheltenham is definitely out so and, with the ground possibly drying out at Punchestown, we’ll have to make a decision before then as to whether it’s worthwhile or not to go there.”
Byrnes added: “He will definitely be back next year. It’s a sickener but that’s the way it is and we are over it now.”
Big Bucks has been shortened into 9/4 favourite to regain his World Hurdle title after the withdrawal of Solwhit, with the quandary that is Annie Power next best at 4/1.
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Racing Solwhit World Hurdle