Way clear for Bay after Marina blow
Connections of Tidal Bay are open-minded as to which event the gelding will contest, which was the same position Glencove Marina’s trainer Willie Mullins was in before his charge sustained a tendon injury.
The six-year-old had looked a fine prospect in effortlessly winning a Grade Two novice chase at Leopardstown earlier this month.
“I haven’t spoken to our vet who scanned him but he is definitely out for all this season and maybe we’ll decide to give next season a miss too,” Mullins admitted.
“He appeared to be fine after Leopardstown because we were checking him every morning.
“He’d had a week off and he was back riding and doing small canters, but we just noticed a little bit of heat on the backside of his leg and were hoping against hope it might have been something else, but it wasn’t.
“He was the most exciting horse I’ve had for years, the potential that he had, he has come out and shown that this year over fences. I was really looking forward to him so it is very disappointing.”
Meanwhile Tom Taaffe proclaimed “we’re back” yesterday after Kicking King’s impressive return in the Normans Grove Chase at Gowran Park.
The 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner made his long-awaited comeback after 759 days on the sidelines with tendon trouble and finished a narrow second to 1-4 favourite Nickname.
