Splinter blow for Buveur
Buveur D’Air is set to miss the rest of the season after surgery yesterday on the freak injury he suffered in his shock defeat on Saturday.
Trainer Nicky Henderson admitted the immediate future of his dual Champion Hurdle winner was a ‘grey area’.
That followed an operation to remove a piece of wood that punctured Buveur D’Air’s off-fore hoof as he was beaten a short head by Cornerstone Lad in the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle.
it is believed the wood became embedded in Buveur D’Air, who finished lame, when he blundered at the second-last hurdle.
Henderson said: ‘Nobody is even talking about when we might see him next. All that is being talked about is making him more comfortable and eliminating the pain. it’s like a very large splinter underneath your nail, and it is very sore.
‘if all goes well for the next 24 hours, then i think we are through the worst. Then we can concentrate on getting the hoof to grow back, but there will be a hole which will take quite some time to heal.’
Speaking on racing Tv, Henderson added: ‘This season is going to be a grey area. We need to get him back in good shape and then we will discuss the long-term future.’
Buveur D’Air, owned by JP McManus, had been one of the favourites for the
Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham in March ahead of his comeback run. The eight-year-old fell in last season’s big race and espoir D’Allen, the winner also owned by McManus, has subsequently died.
Champion Hurdle favouritism is now shared at 4-1 by Klassical Dream, the Willie Mullins-trained Supreme Novices’ Hurdle winner and Saldier, the stablemate who beat him in the Morgiana Hurdle last month.
Meanwhile, McManus-owned Fakir D’oudairies made his electrifying jumping count when winning the Grade one Drinmore Chase at Fairyhouse yesterday by 22 lengths.
Main rival Samcro came down two fences out as he began to mount a strong challenge to leave the winner in the clear and 5-1 joint-favourite for the Arkle Trophy Chase.
Samcro’s trainer Gordon elliott enjoyed a better outcome when envoi Allen maintained his unbeaten record when landing the Grade one Royal Bond Novices’ Hurdle. Davy Russell’s mount raced prominently and tellingly kept pulling out more to beat stablemate Abacadabras by a length and a half.
The Grade one Hatton’s Grace Hurdle was won impressively by Henry De Bromhead’s Honeysuckle, who beat Bacardys by nine lengths, with Apple’s Jade a further four lengths back in third.
Like envoi Allen, Honeysuckle is unbeaten and now a 12-1 shot for an open-looking Champion Hurdle and 7-4 favourite for the Mares’ Hurdle.