'Not a good look’ - McCoy hits out at Sandown conditions as jumps finale hit by withdrawals

With the going described as good, good to firm in places, champion trainer Dan Skelton was the first to decide the ground was too quick for one of his runners

Sat, 25 Apr, 2026 - 15:19

Staff

Adds quotes from Nicky Henderson By Press Association Sport Reporters Sir Anthony McCoy was left questioning whether the finale to the National Hunt season should be at Sandown, after the high-profile card was marred by a raft of non-runners due to quickening ground conditions.

With the going described as good, good to firm in places, champion trainer Dan Skelton was the first to decide the ground was too quick for one of his runners, the classy Kabral Du Mathan in the Select Hurdle.

The most high-profile absentee of the day was undoubtedly Nicky Henderson’s hugely popular Jonbon, who was due to bid for a third win in the bet365 Celebration Chase. He is owned by JP McManus who also saw his Montregard, trained by Tom Lacey, taken out of the feature bet365 Gold Cup in which he was due to go off favourite.

Several others were withdrawn during the course of the afternoon, leaving 20-times champion jockey McCoy to criticise the condition of the course, saying a Grade One day of jumping should not have good to firm in the going description.

Asked for his response, clerk of the course Andrew Cooper, like McCoy speaking on ITV Racing, said: “I’m not sure anyone disputes the description of good, good to firm in places in jumping terms.

“We’ve called it that all week, we wanted to try to get to good if we could, like we do most years – we’ve watered all week, but we haven’t got there as we’ve had three days of 20C.

“I’d agree that it should never be faster than good for this meeting. We have a very good team here and a very good watering system, but we have been faced with five or six weeks of very dry weather. We haven’t had a millimetre of rain in April and there’s been an upturn in temperatures this week, without that we’d have got to good.

“I agree with the principle, though, and most years we get to good.” Standing by his view, McCoy said: “Being a clerk of the course is a thankless task, but the amount of non-runners today, it’s the end of the jumps season with Grade One horses – it has nothing to do with Jonbon (McCoy is a McManus on-course representative).

“It is not a good look when people turn up to see these horses. I don’t know what you can do, maybe Sandown is not the right place for the end of the jumps season. I just don’t think it’s a good look.” Henderson said of his decision not to run Jonbon: “He’s a hero to everyone, that’s why he’s having a walk around in the paddock so people can see him.

“You can’t be risking him, it’s quick. Flat racing yesterday does not help, I have to say.”