HUGE Gold Cup chance Il Est Francais – dubbed a ‘real superstar’ by his trainers – has been scratched from the £625,000 race.
The King George runner-up, whose amazing jumping ‘takes the breath away’, had been as short as 14-1 for the Cheltenham Festival feature.
PAAwesome jumper Il Est Francais is out of the Gold Cup – now will he go for the Ryanair or the Champion Chase?[/caption]
But he was pulled from the contest ahead of tomorrow’s latest scratching stage.
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Connections now have a huge decision to make on whether the two-time Grade 1 winner goes for the Ryanair or Champion Chase.
Trainers Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm had hinted they wanted to avoid Fact To File at Cheltenham.
The John Durkan winner was beaten again by Galopin Des Champs over 3m in Saturday’s Irish Gold Cup.
Fact To File simply cannot get the trip as well as Galopin Des Champs and the 3m2f uphill finish of the Gold Cup looks beyond him.
With the 2m4f Ryanair appearing to be much more his cup of tea, Mullins will surely aim the JP McManus-owned eight-year-old there.
Which leaves Il Est Francais’ owners Richard Kelvin Hughes and Haras De Saint-Voir with a huge dilemma.
They could take on Fact To File in what could be a red-hot Ryanair.
Or they drop right down to 2m – a trip Il Est Francais has never jumped over – for the Champion Chase.
Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon is 4-5 for the Wednesday feature, with nearest market rival Gaelic Warrior a complete no show at the Dublin Racing Festival.
He hates Leopardstown and could come alive at Cheltenham.
But Il Est Francais’ trainers may fancy taking on Jonbon given he has never won a Grade 1 at the home of jumps.
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