Chacun Pour Soi out of Champion Chase with a foot abscess says Willie Mullins

Wednesday's Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase has been dealt another huge blow following the news hot fancy Chacun Pour Soi will – like Altior – miss the race.

Trained by Willie Mullins for Rich and Susannah Ricci, Chacun Pour Soi cantered at Cheltenham this morning when a foot abscess was discovered, which means he cannot run.

"Unfortunately Chacun Pour Soi is out of the Champion Chase," Mullins said.

"He cantered on the course this morning and seemed fine but afterwards we discovered he had an abscess on a foot and after taking veterinary advice we decided to withdraw him."

Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase card

Altior, the winner of the race for the last two years, was ruled out on Tuesday morning, and Chacun Pour Soi's defection will leave Defi Du Seuil as the red-hot favourite.

A French-bred eight-year-old, Chacun Pour Soi had been around an 11-8 chance to give Mullins his first Champion Chase triumph, but his withdrawal means Defi Du Seuil, who had been forecast to start favourite, was slashed to 1-3 market leader by a host of firms, while the Paul Nicholls pair of Dynamite Dollars and Politologue were halved in price to 8-1 and 10-1.

The star of Philip Hobbs's Somerset stable, Defi Du Seuil had been no match for the Irish non-runner when they met at the Punchestown festival in the spring of last year, but has emerged has a leading two-mile chaser in Britain this season, winning the Tingle Creek and Clarence House Chase in impressive fashion.

Chacun Pour Soi: declared a Champion Chase non-runner on Wednesday morning by trainer Willie MullinsCredit: Patrick McCann

Connections of Chacun Pour Soi had, however, been confident of coming out on top.

"He beat Defi Du Seuil at Punchestown last year," the eight-year-old's intended rider Paul Townend said on Tuesday. "It will be Chacun's first run at Cheltenham so we don't know how he's going to handle it, but it shouldn't be a worry.

"From riding against Defi Du Seuil on Un De Sceaux earlier in the season, I'm very happy to be taking him on with Chacun."

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That mouthwatering prospect will now not happen, delivering another sucker punch to the race that also lost Altior, who was lame after a splint problem.

Hobbs said: "You'd be very sorry for the connections of Altior and Chacun Pour Soi. It realistically gives us a much better chance."

As a gesture of goodwill, Paddy Power voided ante-post Champion Chase bets on Altior and Chacun Pour Soi.

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