Image: PA
ALTIOR HAS BEEN ruled out of the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at the 11th hour for a second successive year.
Nicky Henderson’s 11-year-old, who has won the race twice previously as well as the Arkle and the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, coughed after exercise on Monday.
The veteran has made it to the track just twice since November 2019 when he met with his first defeat over obstacles at the hands of Cyrname.
A bitter blow to the whole team, it is heartbreaking to be unable to run Altior @CheltenhamRaces for the second year in a row. pic.twitter.com/Tm538Ni4fF Nicky Henderson (@sevenbarrows) March 15, 2021
Racing s greatest show: superstars gather for the 2021 Cheltenham Festival | Horse Racing News
racingpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from racingpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Three Stars Set To Sparkle At The Cheltenham Festival
ibtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ibtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Comment
The story of Crisp, whose heroic defeat at the 73 Grand National helped tee up the legend of Red Rum
Crisp was beaten by Red Rum in racing s crown jewel despite having led at one stage by 30 lengths in one of the all-time epic races
Crisp (R) is beaten by Red Rum in the 1973 Grand National
Credit: REX FEATURES
It is an irony of sport and, indeed, soldiery – I am thinking Napoleon and Waterloo here – that occasionally the greats are defined by a defeat rather than their numerous victories.
Never was there a better example in racing than Crisp, one of the genuine heroes of the winter game – the front-running, bold-jumping, deep-chested chaser who tanked off in front and whose opposition rarely saw anything other than his backside.