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Kyprios injury scare after workmanlike Saval Beg victory
By Andy Stephens
Last Updated: Sat 17 May 2025
Kyprios on his way to another victory this evening (Healy Racing)
Kyprios was at the centre of an injury scare after gaining a third triumph in the Saval Beg Levmoss Stakes at Leopardstown on Friday night.
The outstanding stayer, winner of 17 of his 21 races, was again using the Saval Bag as a stepping stone towards an intended defence of his Gold Cup crown at Royal Ascot next month.
Kyprios took the prize in workmanlike fashion, not untypically, by a length and a half from Dallas Star at odds of 1-14 and initally all seemed well as he posed for post-race photographs with his connections.
However, Aidan O’Brien revealed to Racing TV’s Gary O’Brien that his star performer subsequently walked away “gingerly”.
O'Brien talks to Gary O'Brien about Kyprios
The trainer added that the lameness could be something of a false alarm but clearly the days ahead will be pivotal for a seven-year-old horse who has had significant health issues in the past.
“He came back in perfect and when he went to walk off (out of the winner’s enclosure) he was moving a little bit gingerly in front," O'Brien said. "He was feeling something walking away.
“We’ll check him out and obviously he’s scanned and X-rayed before he runs because of his history. Hopefully it’s just a sprung shoe or something like that. We'll investigate and see what it is. It could be something and it could be nothing.”
He added: "With his history, every race is a big race and take it day to day."
Kyprios enjoys a post-race drink (Healy Racing)
O'Brien has four other horses engaged in the Gold Cup but suggested to Racing TV that they had only been entries in case that Kyprios had to miss out.
Kyprios is no bigger than 6-5 to win a third Gold Cup, and is as short as 8-11 to gain yet another big-race triumph. He won the biggest staying race of the year in 2022 and 2024, but missed the 2023 renewal when on the sidelines.
One horse who will definitely not be running in the Gold Cup is Constitution Hill as he was scratched from the race on Friday.
Nicky Henderson teased the exciting prospect of his hurdling star switching codes when handing the eight-year-old an entry for the Group One staying showpiece.
However, after a disappointing spring, which has included falls at both the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree, he will now head for a summer break after a lacklustre performance at the Punchestown Festival.
Speaking at Newbury, Henderson told Sky Sports Racing: “He’s good and he’s actually been having various tests throughout the week. He had a body and bone scan which actually told us very little and there is nothing chronically bad about it at all at the moment.
“We did actually take him out of the Gold Cup at Ascot this morning and he will very shortly be going to Charlie Vigors (of Hillwood Stud) for his summer holiday. I think some R and R is the best thing for him.”
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