Owners call off boycott of Festival

LEADING owners Paul and Clare Rooney will have runners at next month’s Cheltenham Festival after reversing their decision to boycott the course over safety concerns. The couple’s horse Starchitect broke his leg on the Flat when about to win the 2017 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup and Melrose Boy was also put down as a result of injuries sustained there last year. Their contenders this year include Go Conquer, who has been entered in the opening day’s Ultima Handicap Chase, and Kruzhlinin, a big hope in the Foxhunters’ Chase. It is welcome news for Cheltenham, especially with the issue of welfare high on the agenda after seven horses died either at last year’s meeting or as a result of injuries sustained there. A statement released by the track said that since the boycott became public, the Rooneys had been in regular communication with the course and with the British Horseracing Authority. Extensive information about all aspects of welfare had been made available to them and they had also undertaken their own investigations. Meanwhile, trainers have boycotted two races at Lingfield tomorrow in protest at prize money of just £4,500.