Golden Ace run "a bit of a head-scratcher", says Scott

Jeremy Scott admitted Golden Ace’s dirty scope after her reappearance defeat at Wetherby has been “a bit of a head-scratcher” as last season’s Champion Hurdle winner continues to be assessed.

The seven-year-old finished 28 lengths behind Dan Skelton’s Kateira in a match race for Saturday’s bet365 Mares’ Hurdle following Dysart Enos’ withdrawal on the morning of the Listed race.

Scott reported his stable star had scoped dirty after the contest and the mare will now undergo a thorough round of veterinary checks.

“She’s fine. I did wonder if she had pulled a muscle behind so we have the physios checking her out and the vet coming out on Tuesday to go right through her,” he revealed.

“But she did scope very dirty, but whether that was enough to stop her as quickly as it did, I don’t know. It’s pretty frustrating.

“The idea is to completely check her out and we will scope her again, and treat what we can treat. We’ll go forward from there, but it wasn’t ideal because I thought she was absolutely flying.

“The frustration is not just for me, but for everyone at home. The disappointment is a lot to take but we will get over it, build on that and hopefully we will be a lot better next time.”

Considering future plans, Scott added: “We’ve got to see what comes out of it all, originally we were thinking the Fighting Fifth (at Newcastle) but we will probably have to give her a bit more time now.

“There’s no reason to stop with her as such, but probably a bit quieter until we are happy that everything is right.

“She was bucking and kicking yesterday in the pen, it’s a bit of a head-scratcher really.”

The shock 25-1 winner of the 2025 Champion Hurdle had the defence her Cheltenham crown as her ultimate target, but Scott is keen to see how Golden Ace performs on her next couple of starts before deciding whether that is a viable route.

“If we were going well that (Champion Hurdle) was the plan,” said the Higher Holworthy Farm handler.

“For me, she stays and I wouldn’t worry about putting her back over two and a half miles, but ultimately that was where we were aiming.

“We will have to wait to see how the season takes us.”