'It was just too bad to be true' - De Bromhead baffled by A Plus Tard run

Cheltenham Gold Cup winner A Plus Tard left Rachael Blackmore and Henry de Bromhead scratching their heads after a performance in the Betfair Chase that was "too bad to be true".

He was 1-2 favourite to repeat last year's win, a race he landed by 22 lengths in 2021.

But the eight-year-old was never travelling with his usual fluency, nor was his jumping as sharp as normal. He was still last of the five runners turning for home for the final time, lost touch after a slow jump at the fourth-last fence, before being pulled up by Blackmore before the next.

It was the first time he had failed to complete the course – or make the first three – in 15 starts since joining De Bromhead from France in 2018.

"I was never that happy, to be honest," Blackmore said. "It was never happening. When I did decide we were going to pull up, he did stop very quickly under me. He was very easy to pull up.

"He seemed fine trotting back but, as I say, I was never that happy through the race. It could possibly be the ground, but he's a very classy horse and I was hoping that wouldn't have been an issue that would make him pull up. We'll see."

"It was obviously too bad to be true," added the trainer. "He was in mighty form coming over, but he looked laboured, didn't he? Maybe it was the ground but I don't want to give any excuse, it was just too bad to be true and that's it.

Henry de Bromhead: 'He looked laboured, didn't he?'Credit: Edward Whitaker

"He seemed good coming in, but we'll scope him and check him and go through everything with him and see. It's very unlike him."

A Plus Tard was pushed out in the Gold Cup betting afterwards and is a best-priced 12-1 to repeat last year's win at Cheltenham.

By contrast to De Bromhead, Joe Tizzard was thrilled with Eldorado Allen, who stayed on to take a clear second place and earn a possible crack at the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase.

"I'm delighted with him," the trainer said. "It's like a winner as he's run an absolute blinder. He's turned into a proper stayer.

"It was a great performance by the winner, but we're proud as punch with our horse. He's got a King George entry and we'll see how he comes out of it, so we might take our chance in that."

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