Absent friends this season as Thistlecrack and Death Duty miss out

In a crushingly depressing day for Jumps racing fans Thistlecrack and Death Duty were ruled out for the rest of the season with injury on Monday.

Thistlecrack will be rising 11 when or if he returns to the fray following his second major spell on the sidelines, while Death Duty was as short as 8-1 for the RSA Novics' Chase and 6-1 for the JLT Novices' Chase.

It has been a tough season so far, we must remember that we lost start hurdler Neon Wolf in August, too, and as we build up to Cheltenham in March it is a relief that bookmakers Sky Bet are now going Non-Runner No Bet for the Festival.

Douvan:

Douvan had looked invincible in two-mile chases prior to his shock defeat in last year’s Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase, his first defeat in ten races over the bigger obstacles.

A stress fracture of the pelvis subsequently emerged as the reason for that poor performance but his recovery did not go as smoothly as hoped, with injury striking again before his intended reappearance in the Tingle Creek at Sandown.

Douvan was officially ruled out for the season before Christmas, after becoming intermittently lame as connections increased his workload but re-entered the betting for the Queen Mother on Sunday and is now as short as 11-4.

His potential absence has robbed racing fans of what was a mouth-watering clash with Altior, who himself has not been seen so far this season and is touch and go to make the Game Spirit Chase next month at Newbury.

Faugheen:

Everything looked rosy in the Faugheen garden once again after his exhilarating return in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown in November.

The dream clash between the 2015 Champion Hurdle winner and last year’s hero Buveur D’Air looked on the cards, but the wheels well and truly came off ‘The Machine’ over Christmas.

Despite being sent off at 2-11, Faugheen was never travelling with his customary exuberance and Rich Ricci’s star was pulled up after weakening away after the third last flight.

The 10-year-old’s career looked in the balance in the aftermath and although connections have seen enough in his homework since to consider an entry in the Irish Champion Hurdle, it is by no means a certainty that we will see Faugheen back on a racecourse this season.

One For Arthur:

One For Arthur went into northern racing folklore when becoming only the second Scottish-trained winner of the Randox Health Grand National at Aintree but his career has stalled after Lucinda Russell confirmed in October that he was suffering from a tendon injury that would keep him out for the season.

Whilst his enforced absence is disappointing, the nine-year-old is relatively lightly-race for his age, having had just 11 starts over fences, so there is no reason why he cannot be as good as ever if connections can get him back to the track next term.

Fayonagh:

Gordon Elliott had made no secret of the regard in which he held dual Grade One-winning bumper performer Fayonagh but, after an effortless success on hurdles debut, her career was cruelly cut short when she suffered a fatal injury in a routine piece of work on the gallops in October. The daughter of Kalanisi had the jumping world at her feet and is a huge loss.

Mega Fortune:

Mega Fortune was one of the top juvenile hurdlers last term, winning the Grade One Spring Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown in February before finding just Defi Du Seuil too strong in the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.

He was in the process of getting his four-year-old career off to the perfect start at Limerick in October when tanking his way into an eight-length lead going to the second-last flight, but tragedy struck and one of the sport's most promising hurdler's was cruelly taken.

Vroum Vroum Mag:

One of the highest-rated mares in training was due to make her seasonal reappearance in the Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown, a race subsequently dominated by her stablemate Faugheen, but was withdrawn from the Grade One contest due to lameness and has not been seen since.

The versatile three-time Grade One winner has gone off the radar since and, at this stage, it looks like her season is under serious threat of being wiped out. Willie Mullins was quoted as saying on Monday that her retirement is a possibility.