The Colin Tizzard-trained Thistlecrack, the rising star of National Hunt racing, was today ruled out of the Cheltenham Gold Cup and the rest of the season after suffering a slight tendon tear.
In a cruel blow of fortunes for team Tizzard and the National Hunt fans, the Cheltenham Festival will now be robbed of arguably its biggest name.
Ante-post favourite for the Racing’s Blue Riband event, Thistlecrack was aiming to become the second novice since 1974 (Coneygree, 2015) to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup for which he headed favouritism.
The nine-year-old son of Kayf Tara was a sensational winner of what is now called the Sun Bets Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last and had adapted well to life over fences, winning his first two starts in novice chases at Chepstow and Cheltenham easily.
John and Heather Snook’s gelding followed that up with an eight-length success in a Grade Two novice contest at Newbury before he annihilated a classy field in the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day by three and a quarter-lengths.
Thistlecrack’s defeat to the ill-fated Many Clouds at Prestbury Park on Cheltenham Festival trials day had shown that the gelding may have a chink in his armour which had heightened further optimism about a mouthwatering clash between Thistlecrack and stable-mates Native River and Cue Card.
However, we are now robbed of that spectacle with Tizzard telling the Racing Post: Thistlecrack is out. He had heat in his leg last night. The vet scanned him this morning and it’s a slight tendon tear.”
Native River now heads favouritism for the Grade One contest at 3/1 with Cue Card 4/1 second-favourite.
