Pillar date for Tavern

Truckers Tavern was this morning reported none the worse for his fall in an incident-packed Rowland Meyrick Chase at Wetherby yesterday.

Ferdy Murphy’s Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup second is now set for one more run in the Pillar Property Chase on January 24 before bidding to go one better in chasing’s blue riband event in March.

Murphy put the blame on his charge’s fall five out on slippy ground at the Yorkshire track, which also found out the normally sound jumper Hussard Collonges.

Murphy said: “Davy (Russell) was very happy with the way the horse was travelling and said he was getting the same feel as he did in the Gold Cup.

“It was just one of those things and the horse is fine but Davy wasn’t happy with the state of the ground after seeing a brilliant jumper in the novice chase slipping and sliding all over the place.

“Wetherby were just unlucky with the weather and when the rain arrived it made it skiddy on top while it was still like concrete underneath.”

Assessing the remainder of the campaign for Truckers Tavern Murphy added: “He goes for the Pillar at Cheltenham which was always going to be his only run before the Gold Cup.”

Hussard Collonges hurt his back when taking a crashing fall at the previous fence.

His trainer Peter Beaumont said: “He is very sore in his back but apart from that is nice and bright and I’ll have to hope that there’s not much wrong.

“I think he may have slipped into the fence and I’ll know more about his well-being when my vet has given him a full check over but I would think plans are on hold for the moment.”

Truckers Tavern and Hussard Collonges are quoted at 8-1 and 33-1 respectively for the Cheltenham Gold Cup with William Hill.