Don Cossack, winner of last year's Timico Cheltenham Gold Cup, has been retired.
Eddie O'Leary, racing manager for Gigginstown House Stud, confirmed the ten-year-old would not return to the track, having failed to recover from a tendon injury sustained last April.
"I saw him last week and he had legs like steel, so this comes as a big surprise as we thought we had him back," O'Leary said.
With Don Cossack now retired, this year's Gold Cup is unlikely to feature either of the last two winners as connections of Coneygree revealed earlier in the week that they will not enter the 2015 winner.
Trainer Gordon Elliott revealed Don Cossack had met with a setback, which led to his retirement.
Quoted on his Betfair blog, Elliott said: "We found that he had a bit of heat in his leg yesterday [Tuesday] and we've made the decision to call time.
Jb23 • January 11, 2017 10:55 AM GMT.....but then retiring him whilst they can is the right decision. Sad for racing but probably the right decision. Retiring as the highest rated chaser with your last race being a win in the Gold Cup is pretty cool. Not many have done that
Jb23 • January 11, 2017 10:55 AM GMT.....but then retiring him whilst they can is the right decision. Sad for racing but probably the right decision. Retiring as the highest rated chaser with your last race being a win in the Gold Cup is pretty co
Michael O'Leary was not very hopeful/optimistic re Don Cossack, on Newstalk Breakfast radio this morning with Ivan Yates & Chris Donoghue saying... "tendon injury usually takes 2 years to fully recover - he's 9yo - so unlikely to come back as good as he was at 11yo".
Great wide-ranging interview, well worth a listen with some funny comments..... http://www.newstalk.com/podcasts/Breakfast/Highlights_from_Newstalk_Breakfast/142561/Luas_drivers_are_a_bunch_of_headbangers_says_OLeary
"I would have sacked the whole lot of them" - Michael O'Leary on striking Luas workers. "The flight to China is very sexy - 400 passengers 3 times a week, mickey mouse - we deliver more passengers from Bournemouth !" "Aer Lingus only does 10m passengers a year - we do that in a month !" (Ryanair carry 116 M/year). and right near the end - "I don't have anything against cyclist...quite like cyclists - I just wouldn't eat a whole one"
Catch Me ifyoucan • June 3, 2016 12:04 AM BST Michael O'Leary was not very hopeful/optimistic re Don Cossack, on Newstalk Breakfast radio this morning with Ivan Yates & Chris Donoghue saying... "tendon injury usually takes 2 years to fully recove