Limestone Lad knocked off course for Cheltenham
James Bowe’s prolific winner was due to run in the McCabe Builders Boyne Hurdle but the trainer’s son Michael yesterday explained: “He is coughing. He was due to do a piece of work this morning. I just hacked him up, was giving him a canter, when he just started coughing, so we stopped immediately.
“He’s on treatment and as a consequence he won’t be going to Navan on Sunday. The vet says I should have him back in two weeks.”
Limestone Lad had been disputing favouritism with Baracouda in most lists for the Bonusprint Stayers’ Hurdle at next month’s festival.
Cashmans, however, reacted to the news by tightening Baracouda to 6-4 clear favourite, while offering Limestone Lad at 2-1 with a run.
“I am just hoping Navan is not the only thing I have to sacrifice,” added Michael Bowe.
“It could have happened at a better time but there is a bug going around and I couldn’t escape it forever. I just wish it had happened at a different time.
“He has eaten his feed and it’s just the cough that’s there and we are treating it.
“He started his treatment today and it’s a seven-day withdrawal period so Navan was out of the equation.
“Hopefully with treatment it will only take a week or two weeks and if that’s the case I should be back on track again.”
For the Bowe family it is something of a disaster, because even if Limestone Lad makes Cheltenham he will have been without a run for over six weeks and that is a huge amount of time in that horse’s life.
A prolific runner, he likes to taste racecourse action every two to three weeks and gets frustrated when cooped up in his box.
The stable’s other Cheltenham hope, the star filly Solerina has so far escaped the cough.
“She’s fine,” Bowe said, “but you just don’t like it being in the place.
“I’ve got to keep Limestone Lad isolated from her, but if it’s in the air it’s very contagious, that’s the worrying thing about it.”
Sun Alliance Novices’ Hurdle candidate Solerina was given an immediate 8-1 quote by Cashman’s bookmakers following her impressive success in the Deloitte and Touche Novices’ Hurdle at Leopardstown on Sunday.
Ted Walsh’s Commanche Court has been given two entries for the weekend, at Gowran Park on Saturday and Navan on Sunday.
Speaking yesterday, Walsh said: “It’s very unlikely he will go to either place and the plan remains for him to head for Naas on Sunday week.”
