Heart issue puts Blazing Khal back on the sidelines

‘He is not going to Cheltenham and we’re not making any plans going forwards at the moment’.

Blazing Khal will miss the Cheltenham Festival having suffered a fibrillating heart when defending his Boyne Hurdle crown – with a question mark over whether he will race again.

Charles Byrnes’ stable star won the Navan Grade Two following a long absence 12 months ago, teeing up an unsuccessful shot at the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival.

Off the track for a further 332 days since finishing sixth in that Prestbury Park contest, connections were attempting to see if history could repeat itself when sent off 4-1 at Navan on Sunday.

However, he was one of the first to come under pressure, weakening after three out and eventually being pulled up by Philip Byrnes.

Blazing Khal (centre) in action at Cheltenham
Blazing Khal (centre) in action at Cheltenham (David Davies/PA)

Blazing Khal’s trainer has now confirmed a return to the Cotswolds is off the cards and the eight-year-old will be given an easy time before a further decision is made on his future.

Byrnes said: “We’re going to give him a few weeks off, he had a fibrillating heart afterwards and that was the reason he ran so bad.

“He is not going to Cheltenham and we’re not making any plans going forwards at the moment.

“Whether he’ll race again or not we don’t know, we will just see how he is in a couple of weeks and make a decision then.”

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