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Cheltenham legend and ‘horse of a lifetime’ Flooring Porter out for the rest of the season…
Cheltenham legend Flooring Porter out for the season
Gutting blow as dual Champion Hurdle winner to miss defence of his crown in March
Gareth Batten
Cheltenham Festival legend Flooring Porter will miss the defence of his Champion Hurdle crown in March – with connections revealing the dual winner has been ruled out for the rest of the season.
Trainer Gavin Cromwell confirmed on Thursday the popular 10-year-old had suffered a setback which will prevent him from gracing the hallowed Prestbury Park turf this season.
Connections had been hoping to see Flooring Porter bid for a remarkable hat-trick of victories in the Champion Hurdle having won the prestigious event in 2021 and 2022.
However, those dreams have been dashed after a setback in training with assistant trainer Ger Fox revealing the horse had met with a minor issue.
“We had a small setback in the last 10 days to a fortnight. It’s nothing major but we just felt we were running out of time,” Fox told Racing TV.
“We scoped him this morning and he’s absolutely perfect, everything is perfect with him. It’s just that we’re running out of time.”
The news is a bitter blow to Cromwell and connections who had been hoping to see their stable star shine once again on the biggest stage of all.
“It’s incredibly disappointing. He’s a horse of a lifetime,” Cromwell said.
“He’s just an incredible horse, and it’s just a pity now that his season is over,” Cromwell added.
Flooring Porter had been as short as 5/1 to win a third Champion Hurdle but will now have to wait until next season at the earliest to bid for a piece of history.
The news will also come as a blow to racing fans who had been eagerly anticipating seeing the popular horse in action once again.
Flooring Porter has been a revelation since joining Cromwell’s yard in 2020, winning 10 of his 14 starts and amassing over £600,000 in prize money.
As well as his two Champion Hurdle wins, Flooring Porter has also won the Morgiana Hurdle and the Irish Champion Hurdle.
He is one of the most popular horses in training and his absence from the Cheltenham Festival will be a huge loss.