‘Week ruined already’ – Cheltenham punters suffer as five big horses are scratched from Festival

ANTE-POST punters have endured a tough few days when it comes to the Cheltenham Festival.

Those with fancy prices on Arkle odds-on shot Sir Gino got nightmare news when Nicky Henderson's star was ruled out through injury.

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The latest round of scratches came through today and more ante-post slips will have gone into the bin thanks to these five coming out.

ILE ATLANTIQUE (Arkle Chase)

Slashed into 8-1 for the Arkle after his smooth win at Naas in January, those on at that price were already wincing when he was tailed off behind Majborough at Leopardstown at the Dublin Racing Festival.

The warning light was on at that point and with no other entries at the Festival, it's likely we'll see him at either Aintree or Punchestown.

IMPAIRE ET PASSE (Arkle Chase, Brown Advisory)

Another who will miss Cheltenham altogether is Impaire Et Passe, who won the 2023 Ballymore doing handstands.

He was a Grade 1 winner at Limerick over Christmas, but his heavy defeat behind Ballyburn at the Dublin Racing Festival clearly made up Mullins mind about future plans.

Having won the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree last year, it's fair to assume he may end up in a Grade 1 novice there instead.

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MISTERGIF (Arkle Chase)

Beating Tullyhill on his second chase start, Mistergif looked set for the Arkle with a decent each-way chance.

That is no longer the case, but he's another who could be perfect for Aintree or Punchestown later down the line.

IMPERVIOUS (Mares Chase)

Perhaps the biggest blow of all, Impervious was a big fancy for a wide-open Mares Chase.

She's been absent since winning both the Mares Chase in 2023 and the same race at Punchestown a month later.

And it looks like the wait will go on, with Colm Murphy delivering the devastating scratching.

One punter said: "No Impervious in the Mares Chase. Week ruined already."

KAID D'AUTHIE (Supreme)

Although not the biggest surprise, it's interesting to note that Kaid D'Authie came out of the Supreme.

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He was an impressive winner over 2m4f on first completed start but seemed to hate the drop back to 2m at the Dublin Racing Festival.

We can expect much better from him next time out, so watch his entries carefully.

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