Maire Banrigh’s racing future in the balance after Cheltenham fall

PA Sport Reporters
March 14, 2020 3:15 pm

Arkle runner suffered hock injury.

Maire Banrigh’s racing career is in doubt as she recovers from injury following her fall in the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase.

Dan Skelton’s mare, previously unbeaten in four chase starts up to Listed level, fell at the fourth-last when still going well at Cheltenham.

Her jockey, and trainer’s brother, Harry Skelton admits there is no guarantee at this stage that Maire Banrigh will race again after suffering a hock injury.

He told Sky Sports Racing: “She’s not great. She’s in the (equine) hospital, and the vets are looking after her.

“I hope she’s going to be all right. She’s a beautiful mare and has a lot of value – whether she’ll race again we don’t know, but it will be good if she can have foals anyway.

“We’ll just make sure everything is right.

“She’s done something to one of her hocks, so we’ll have to just see how the recovery goes.”

Skelton, who went on to partner Politologue to Champion Chase glory for Maire Banrigh’s joint owner John Hales the following day, was full of hope the eight-year-old was about to launch a telling challenge when she came down in the two-mile novice championship won by her fellow mare Put The Kettle On.

He said: “It was gutting really, because I thought I was going very well at the time.

“I was just very, very long at the top of the hill – on better ground, she probably would have got there, but she was just a long way off, and as I left the ground her back-end just couldn’t push out of it.”