Might Bite to have wind operation before returning for Cheltenham Gold Cup

Nicky Henderson said on Thursday that Might Bite will have wind surgery and not run again before the Magners Cheltenham Gold Cup in March.

The ten-year-old's exploits last season included winning the King George VI Chase and finishing second in a memorable Gold Cup before majestically going one better at Aintree's Grand National meeting.

However, his powers have been blunted this campaign. He finished last of five runners on his return in the Betfair Chase, when the Evens favourite, and trailed home last of seven finishers when defending his King George crown, having gone off 3-1 market leader.

Henderson was initially left bemused but now believes his fallen star might have been affected by a breathing problem.

"After investigating every single possible route with regards to Might Bite’s effort in the 32Red King George, we are the first to admit that it was very disappointing and on the back of his run in the Betfair Chase it is clear there may be an issue which needs rectifying," he said.

"I was pretty sure his performance at Haydock could be put down to other things but it appears that possibly it all comes down to the same thing, so after many, many discussions with all the relevant professionals we have decided to cauterise his palate, which is exactly the same procedure we did in 2016, along with him being hobdayed, which is all in place and perfectly alright – once it’s done, it’s done, but the cauterisation is not guaranteed to last forever, therefore we can do it again."

He added in a blog for Unibet: "We have not heard any noises, but after considerable discussions with our experts they suggest this may be the best course of action.

WILL ANOTHER WIND OP HELP MIGHT BITE?:

"It is not a 100 per cent ‘cure’ but eight times out of 10 it is respiratory, so it makes perfect sense to go ahead with the procedure, which will happen today.

"I had a horse that ran a stinker for me on his debut, so we cauterised his palate and he bolted up at Leicester last week on his first run after, and while Might Bite appeared to bleed last time, I’m not sure it was quite enough to stop him, but if there is any shortage of oxygen getting to a horse you are obviously putting pressure on the lungs, which can cause bleeding, therefore it’s perfectly reasonable to expect the two issues to tie in together, so that is the line of thought and our conclusion to the matter."

Henderson says Might Bite will not be one the sidelines for long and will have ample time to get him ready for the Festival in March.

"Timing-wise we are absolutely fine, as he’ll miss less than two weeks work, which shouldn’t hold him back too much as he’s already race fit, but it would almost certainly rule him out of running in anything before the Cheltenham Gold Cup," he said.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS - DO WIND OPS WORK?:

"He didn’t run again between Kempton and the Gold Cup last year, so it shouldn’t make any difference again.

"As I’ve said before our only priority is his health and well-being and should there be anything else to report we’ll update accordingly."

Betfair and Ladbrokes quote Might Bite at a best price of 16-1 for the Gold Cup.