Champion Hurdle hero Buveur D'Air to miss Aintree Hurdle after bad scope

Champion Hurdle winner Buveur D'Air will miss his intended run in the Betway Aintree Hurdle on Thursday after mucus was found during a trachea wash, trainer Nicky Henderson said on Monday.

Buveur D'Air was 4-6 favourite to win the race for a second year running and extend his unbeaten streak to 11. He could instead run at the Punchestown festival.

In a statement released via his Twitter account, Henderson said: "Sadly Buveur D'Air will not run at Aintree on Thursday due to an unsatisfactory trachea wash. It is a very routine procedure, and something we do with all of our runners, but he was found to have a small amount of mucus which means unfortunately we just cannot run him. It is terribly frustrating but the horse's welfare is of paramount importance and it tells us he is not 100 per cent.

"His work has been great but you can never tell until you take these trachea washes and it is telling us that it would be unwise to run him.

"I have spoken to JP [McManus, owner] and it is extremely disappointing as this race had very much been the plan ever since his win in the Unibet Champion Hurdle, and he had ideal ground conditions too, so this is a bitter blow.

"There is the option of Punchestown, and we will think about it, but at the moment our main priority is getting Buveur back to full health."

Balko Des Flos: a comfortable winner of the Ryanair ChaseCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Ryanair Chase winner Balko Des Flos will run in the JLT Melling Chase at Aintree on Friday instead of the Betway Bowl on the previous day.

"Balko Des Flos goes for the two-and-a-half-mile race and Sub Lieutenant will run in the Bowl," reported trainer Henry de Bromhead.

Identity Thief, who finished fourth in the Champion Hurdle behind Buveur D'Air, will step up to three miles in the Ryanair Stayers Hurdle on Saturday, De Bromhead added, while Petit Mouchoir goes for the Doom Bar Maghull Novices' Chase on Saturday, rather than the Manifesto Novices' Chase on Thursday.

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