Bobs Worth to miss Gold Cup prep race

Bobs Worth, ante-post favourite for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup, will not run in the Argento Chase at Cheltenham tomorrow.

The Nicky Henderson-trained eight-year-old was found to be not quite 100 per cent following a routine check-up earlier in the week. He will now contest the Gold Cup on March 15th without a prep run.

“Bobs Worth is not going to be able to run on Saturday, which is very disappointing for everybody, including the owners,” said the trainer. “We very much wanted to run, but the good thing is it doesn’t affect March in any way.

“We were just doing a routine check on Monday, which all the horses have before they run. There was something not quite right with him and it’s just going the wrong way, rather than the right way.

“We were scoping him and there was a little something there. It’s not wise to run at the weekend if he’s not going to perform to his best.”

The Seven Barrows handler is unfazed by the prospect of sending Bobs Worth to the Gold Cup without the benefit of another run. His magnificent victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury in December was his first start since he was victorious in the RSA Chase at the Festival last March.

Henderson said: “I always felt the Denman Chase (Newbury, February 9th) was too close to Cheltenham for him – he’s that sort of horse.”

Tom Taaffe is favouring a crack at the Jewson Novices’ Chase with Argocat after giving his runner a clutch of Cheltenham Festival entries.

Taaffe believes the Jewson offer the best chance of Festival glory. He said: “The preference for Argocat at the moment is the Jewson over two and a half miles.

“He won’t run again before Cheltenham but he has been in super form since his win at Limerick.”