O'Neill yard two months behind as Cheltenham nears

Jonjo O’Neill has conceded that his string are “now two months behind” with the Cheltenham Festival just three weeks away.

The trainer’s Jackdaws Castle yard has been badly hit by the virus and all five of his runners at the weekend, his first since St Stephen's Day, were well beaten, including Iris’s Gift.

He told The Daily Telegraph: “We’re now two months behind with Iris’s Gift - and with all of them. That’s the big problem.

“It is very disappointing, particularly with Cheltenham around the corner. We have to run them to get a line on where we stand.”

Former Stayers’ Hurdler hero Iris’s Gift trailed in last of the five finishers on his jumping debut at Lingfield, and plans for an ambitious tilt at the Gold Cup have been shelved for this season.

“Iris’s Gift misses the Gold Cup,” O’Neill said. "He came back tired after Lingfield, but he’s the type who will always come back tired, so you shouldn’t read too much into it. As for the others, they’ve come back fine – it’s just that we are way behind with them (fitness-wise).”