Altior faces race for Cheltenham fitness after going lame
Double champion a big doubt with sore splint Festival still on despite local coronavirus case
The build-up to this year’s Cheltenham Festival has all been about human health and the containment of coronavirus but, yesterday, two days before the start of the greatest show on turf, the focus switched to one of its box-office, equine attractions, Altior.
There is now a big doubt about his participation in Wednesday’s Betway Champion Chase due to lameness, the timing of which could not be worse for his trainer, Nicky Henderson.
The race had been billed as the best at this year’s meeting, with Altior, the two-time champion, due to face strong competition from the young pretenders, Defi Du Seuil and Chacun Pour Soi.
Henderson has not ruled Altior out of the race yet and all his work is complete, but yesterday, two days after his last gallop, he was sore on a splint, a small bony growth which can be anything between the size of a pea to a broad bean on the cannon bone. Lots of horses develop them and occasionally they become inflamed.
However, it is too close to the race to medicate and, other than ice and cold water, it will have to come right of its own accord and, obviously, in time to pass the mandatory, veterinary trot-up for all runners on Wednesday morning.
Speaking before he carried out his traditional Sunday pre-festival course walk yesterday, Henderson said: “Altior is lame this morning and faces a battle against time. What’s happened is an old splint that has never worried him before has consequently reared up. He’s been on the water treadmill and cold water is great for that type of thing.
“There is a chance he could make