Cheltenham off the agenda for Chatham Street Lad

Chatham Street Lad will not line up in the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival and has been ruled out for the season after suffering from lymphangitis.

As an eight-year-old, the Michael Winters-trained gelding was a 15-length winner over the ill-fated Midnight Shadow in the 2020 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup at Cheltenham and was subsequently fourth to Chantry House in the Marsh Novices’ Chase at the Festival meeting that season.

But he sustained a nasty cut when third to A Plus Tard in the Betfair Chase at Haydock 16 months ago which sidelined him until December, when he reappeared in a point-to-point.

The Vivian Healy-owned Chatham Street Lad won a three-mile point on New Year’s Day, but his latest problem – severe swelling of the lower leg – came to light after he was well held in a subsequent point early last month.

“He is not going. He has a problem with lymphangitis,” said Winters. “It is bad timing, so he is being left off for the season, basically.

“We were looking forward to it. If he turned up 100 per cent, he would be a danger to everything.

“With the ground and everything, we’ll give him a chance and we will leave it a lot to nature now.

“We have done a lot of supervision, bathing and minding and everything.

“We will leave him out now in a nice place, where the ground is nice and he has creature comforts, and maybe let nature take its course.

“All the little small injuries he’s had – it is exasperating. But he is a fine horse.

“He’s out in a field and he’s happy. As long as we can all retire that way!”