Bandit plans on hold

Lenny Lungo has put plans for The Bajan Bandit on hold after the gelding was found to have a nasal discharge following his below-par effort in the Weatherbys Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby yesterday and he is keeping a close watch on the rest of his team.

The Bajan Bandit, a Royal & SunAlliance Chase entry, was pulled up in the extended three-mile contest won by Keen Leader, suffering only the third defeat of his 13-race career in the process.

His Carrutherstown trainer said today: “The vet examined him afterwards and he found there was mucus coming out of his nose.

“I am disappointed he did not go well, but at least there was some tangible reason for it and we will have to put him on a course of antibiotics and go easy with him for a couple of weeks.”

Lungo went on: “I should think we will be able to run him in about three or four weeks and then we will have to see how he does and then have a think about Cheltenham.

“I think any stable with a lot of horses have one or two picking up things like this at the races at this time of year.”

Lungo added: “I am told that a temperature of four degrees allows bacteria to thrive and those are the sort of temperatures we have been getting.

“You have got to have eyes in the back of your head in this job and we will have to keep vigilant and scope our horses before they run – but the trouble is sometimes things don’t show up until they are in a race.”

Lungo has been in the wars himself and is nursing a broken right hand after a freak accident when the Sue Smith-trained Carlton Climber collapsed and died after winning at Newcastle on Wednesday.

He said: “I was on one side of the horse and Harvey (Mrs Smith’s husband) was the other side trying to stop the poor horse from going down but we could not stop him and I think he must have caught me with a hoof.

“Two bones have been broken in my hand and it will be in plaster for about four weeks – it is frustrating as I am not able to saddle up the horses and I was due to go on a golfing holiday next week, but that is how things go, they could always be worse I suppose.”