THE participation of Grey Abbey, as short as 6-1 with Coral for the totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup next month, hangs in the balance after Howard Johnson, his trainer, revealed yesterday that the 11-year-old has damaged a joint. While Johnson has been unable to gauge the full extent of the injury, the portents for the grey making the line-up are not encouraging.
An impressive 16-length winner of the Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham last month, Grey Abbey has been confined to walking since sustaining the knock. Even then, however, the affected joint flares up after exercise. “He is sound when he walks,” Johnson said. “He can go a mile and a half in a straight line no problem, but when he stands in his box the joint fills back up.”
As Johnson awaits the results of a scan, he is treating the horse with a hydro spa in an effort to cure the problem. “I think he will come right,” Johnson said, “but everything is up in the air about where we will run. If the Gold Cup was tomorrow, he wouldn’t run. You need to be 110 per cent, not 100 per cent, and I’m not going to risk him anywhere until we are completely happy with him.” Ladbrokes reacted to the news by extending the horse’s Gold Cup odds to 12-1.
Grey Abbey impressed many with his front-running victory at Cheltenham last time. The gelding galloped some talented opponents into the ground in winning what is often a significant trial for steeplechasing’s blue riband. He emerged from the race as a big danger to the established pecking order.
In addition to Johnson, but for different reasons, Henrietta Knight will regret the setback to Grey Abbey. Knight, who trains Best Mate, the triple Gold Cup winner, had been comforted that Grey Abbey’s free-running style would give Best Mate the strong gallop on which her horse thrives.
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Beyond Cheltenham, Grey Abbey was given top weight when the Grand National handicap was published this month. His participation at Aintree, which Johnson was considering, is similarly threatened. The injury comes as a bitter blow to Johnson, who has gathered one of the most potent jumping strings at his base in Co Durham.
Evidence of this will be seen over the weekend, when a number of Johnson’s rising stars are due out. Inglis Drever, runner-up in the Royal & SunAlliance Hurdle at Cheltenham last year, is to contest the Axminster Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton on Saturday. With Graham Lee, Johnson’s stable jockey, nursing a fractured collarbone, the trainer has booked Warren Marston in the event that Barry Geraghty, Johnson’s first-choice replacement, is unable to travel from Ireland.
Meanwhile, Royal Rosa and Akilak, the latter favourite for the JCB Triumph Hurdle after a winning debut at Cheltenham last month, are both entered at Haydock. Johnson gave warning that Akilak will not turn out if the ground comes up heavy. “I’m not worried if he doesn’t run again before the Triumph,” he said.
Akilak was purchased by Johnson as a cast-off from the Flat. That is not a fate envisaged for Grand Central, whom Aidan O’Brien trained to win his sole start last season by four lengths. Grand Central was yesterday backed with Coral to win the 2,000 Guineas and is now 12-1 from 25-1.