Nicky Henderson believes Charli Parcs could still run at Cheltenham despite the four-year-old’s bad fall at Kempton Park on Saturday.
Barry Geraghty, who rode Henderson’s charge in the colours of JP McManus, will miss the Cheltenham Festival after suffering a collapsed lung and six broken ribs as a result of his fall from Charli Parcs.
Well fancied for the Supreme Novices’ and Triumph Hurdle, this was a disappointing display from the JP McManus owned gelding who never travelled with any real zest throughout the two-mile contest but was still in contention at the second-last hurdle when taking a crashing fall under Geraghty Alan King’s Master Blueyes a well-beaten second to Charli Parcs by nine lengths in December, sauntered to victory, highlighting his credentials for the Triumph Hurdle at Prestbury Park.
However, Henderson intimated on Sunday that the French-bred gelding could still run at Prestbury Park next month despite the mishap at Kempton. The Lambourn handler commented on Charli Parcs: “He is fine. He won’t go to Newbury on Friday, we do these things (make entries) if they get loose at the start.
To be honest, I need to talk to Barry. It didn’t look like things were going very clever, but Noel (Fehily) said first time he rode him at Kempton he was a bit the same. As soon as he saw daylight off he went when he came off that bend.
He picked up again having been five or six lengths down and came into the second-last like a bullet. We will talk to JP and discuss plans but it’s (Cheltenham) is still very possible.
