Tom Cooper’s smart performer Forpadydeplasterer will not take his chance in the Ryanair Chase at next month’s Cheltenham Festival after failing to recover in sufficient time from his exertions when a sick horse in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park last month,
Runner-up in last season’s Queen Mother Champion Chase to fellow Irish star Big Zeb, the nine-year-old has been attempting to fashion a career over longer distances this term and held a speculative entry in the Cheltenham Gold Cup (as well as in the Champion Chase once again), but Cooper made it clear some time ago that the Ryanair Chase was the event they were targeting for horse racing Ireland
A runner-up to Albertas Run over two-and-a-half miles in the Grade 1 Melling Chase last April, the Moscow Society gelding went to Kempton’s delayed ‘King George’ in January on the back of a solid effort over the minimum trip when chasing home the useful Gauvain in November. But at Kempton the Irish horse was never travelling with his usual fluency and was beaten such a long way from home that the extended trip was never going to be revealed to be the cause of his failure to complete the course which affected Irish horse racing tips.
After pulling up before the 12th fence, Cooper took his stable star home and soon found he was suffering from an infection. That illness was soon overcome but it has taken longer than anticipated for Forpadydeplasterer to get back into the old routine so connections have taken the decision not to rush his preparation to have him ready for Cheltenham, and instead look to the Punchestown Festival on home soil in April.
Poquelin, trained by Paul Nicholls, remains the clear punters pick at present for the Ryanair Chase and is a solid 4/1 market leader.
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