Nicky Henderson has confirmed that Sprinter Sacre has been ruled out of Cheltenham next month, and he will not defend his Queen Mother Champion Chase crown.
The two-mile patriarch was pulled up at Kempton on December 27th with an irregular heartbeat and, although he recovered, he was not at his best at Seven Barrows on Saturday and the decision has been taken that he’ll miss the rest of the season.
Henderson said: “He worked (on Saturday) as normal, but I just needed to see the old Sprinter back yesterday. Everything had been going very well, his work was building up. It had been OK, but I was looking for that something he shows, he is extraordinary and always used to give us that at home.
“I talked extensively with Caroline and Raymond Mould, who have been very understanding.
“I said the other week it was 50-50 (getting to Cheltenham) but quietly I thought it was above that, I honestly thought we were going the right way.
“It’s just not all there and I can’t ask a horse of his standing, I can’t sacrifice him, I think it is fairer to everybody – the horse told us what he wanted to tell us yesterday. It’s not what he’s made of.”
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