Nine big guns to miss the Cheltenham Festival

With the news that a tendon injury will see Thistlecrack miss the Cheltenham Festival, he joins a high-profile list of casualties. S o many stars have fallen by the wayside ahead of next month's headline event at Prestbury Park.Here, Keith Hamer runs the rule over those big guns that will notfeature during the biggest week of National Hunt racing due to injury. FAUGHEEN (Champion Hurdle)A stress fracture finally put paid to any chance of Faugheen trying to repeathis Champion Hurdle success of 2015 after several niggly problems had kept himoff the track since he won the Irish equivalent in January 2016. ANNIE POWER (Champion Hurdle)Last year's Champion Hurdle heroine was nearing a possible return to actionwhen she suffered a leg injury forcing trainer Willie Mullinsto scrap plans for the defence of her crown, and perhaps the rest of thecampaign. MIN (Arkle Trophy)In the whole scheme of things a bruise is extremely minor, but one has come atthe wrong time for Min. His proposed rematch with Altior, who beat him in lastyear's Supreme Novices' Hurdle, is now off the agenda. THISTLECRACK (Gold Cup) Favourite for the blue riband event from a pretty early stage this season, Thistlecrack won each of his three novice starts before graduating to full company with a scintillating success in the King George VI Chase. He had to give best to the ill-fated Many Clouds on his final prep run at Cheltenham last month, but a tendon problem has derailed his Gold Cup bid. DON COSSACK (Gold Cup)Gordon Elliott had to call time on Don Cossack's career last month after the2016 Gold Cup hero sustained a recurrence of a tendon injury when back intraining with a view to a bid for a repeat triumph. CONEYGREE (Gold Cup)Mark and Sara Bradstock decided not to enter Coneygree for this year's Gold Cupas the 2015 winner had not recovered sufficiently from the problem that ruledhim out of the King George. SPRINTER SACRE (Champion Chase)The tip-top chaser was retired after picking up a leg injury in November. Hesuffered an irregular heartbeat at the end of 2013 that kept him on thesidelines for well over a year, yet Nicky Henderson and his team had workedwonders to get the 2013 winner to win the showpiece again in 2016. VALSEUR LIDO (Ryanair/Gold Cup)Henry de Bromhead's charge made quite an impression in winning a Down RoyalGrade One by 11 lengths on his seasonal bow, but he could miss the rest of theseason after sustaining an injury on the gallops last month. AR MAD (Champion Chase/Ryanair)Gary More decided not to rush Ar Mad back into action at the Festival, where hehad a couple of options, after a setback forced the seven-year-old to bypass theBetfair Ascot Chase. He now has Aintree or Punchestown on hisagenda.