FESTIVAL HEADACHE FOR HENDERSON AFTER TALENTED CHAMP SUFFERS A SHOCK FALL

NICKY heNDeRSON will have to change his plans with Champ after the horse named after Sir Anthony McCoy crashed out of Cheltenham’s Paddy Power Dipper Novices’ Chase at the second-last fence with the prize in his grasp. Champ, who has a lofty reputation to carry, was clear of eventual winner, Sue Smith-trained

Midnight Shadow, when getting the second-last fence all wrong under jockey Barry Geraghty, trying to gallop through rather than over the fence. The JP McManus-owned gelding, who had won his first two novice chases, remains the 3-1 favourite for the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March but, rather than going straight there, henderson now feels he needs to find another prep race and the Reynoldstown Novices’ Chase at Ascot on February 15 looks favourite. henderson said: ‘It’s annoying more than anything else. I thought he had jumped the best he has this season. he had the race totally under control and Barry said he was full of petrol. You hardly want to go into Festival off the back of what he did there.’ A topsy-turvy day for jockey harry Skelton and his trainer brother, Dan, saw them successful in the Paddy Power Chase as Oldgrangewood beat Saint Calvados by a nose in a blanket finish with third Lalor a nose further back. But Protektorat had passed the post a head in front for the Skeltons in the Ballymore Novices’ hurdle only to lose the race in the Stewards’ room as the prize was awarded to Fergal O’Brien-trained Imperial Alcazar. The stewards deemed Imperial Alcazar lost momentum after having to be switched as Protektorat drifted right. It was a marginal decision which surprised many and an appeal looks likely. To rub salt into the wounds for harry Skelton, there was also a four-day ban for using the whip above the permitted level. The demotion left the jockey fuming but, after he had calmed down, he said:

‘it’s been a funny old hour. i have been in the game long enough to know you take the rough with the smooth.’ trainer tom george’s fruitful Festive period got better when Summerville Boy landed the Dornan engineering relkeel hurdle to follow the victories of the Worlds end (Long Walk hurdle) and Bun Doran (Desert Orchid Chase). Willie Mullins-trained Cheltenham gold Cup winner Al Boum Photo was a six-length winner from stablemate Acapella Bourgeois on his seasonal comeback in the Savills New Year’s Day Chase at tramore. Al Boum Photo won the same race last season before heading straight to Cheltenham and Mullins is thinking of the same route. he said: ‘When a plan works, we might leave it at that.’