Its the current mindset of trainers these days – they wrap these horses up in so much cotton wool and race them so infrequently that they simple aren’t conditioned to be able to take more than 4 possibly 5 races a season or race on deep ground a month or so before Cheltenham.
Back in the day the top horses were running 6, 7 or sometimes 8 times a season on ground ranging from firm to heavy in handicaps (because they didn’t have the amount of races catered to them like they do today) and come back for more year in year out. Some would even then following up a NH campaign by running on the flat.
It should come as no surprise that Hendo wouldn’t run him on that ground but we know full well that if the extact same conditions come up at Cheltenham that he will run regardless because its Cheltenham and considering that it would be only his 3rd race this season we might be much more likely to see him race once more afterwards (Aintree).
Hendo’s big problem is that he tries to be a bit too forthcoming with info when perhaps he should be keeping his own counsel a little more – he probably should have just said he would only run at Newbury if the ground wasn’t too testing and left it at that.
Looking at the horse’s form, he has won twice on soft ground along with being twice a runner up on it and he was narrowly beaten on officially heavy ground in last season’s Silly Isles Novice Chase so he clearly handles testing conditions. Hendo just knows he isn’t capable of recovering from a likely tough race in time for Cheltenham, which goes back to my original point.