“That Envoi had only run once since March of last year, admittedly a Grade 1 win over 3 miles”…beating the race fit Affordale Fury who won the Savills on his next run.
He didn’t have any injury problems after that, he was deliberately tucked away to avoid the deep winter ground that he disliked.
You’ve never run over further than 3 miles till you’ve done it. Abufffalosoldier tried it at 7, won, collapsed and died. Marble Sands tried it in the same race the following year at 9, won, and lived.
Many Clouds broke Thistlecrack in the Cotswold Chase, won, and died. That race probably ruled Thistlecrack out of running in the gold cup as a novice at the age of 9, a year older than Coneygree who famously ran in it and won as a novice because he was so fragile the Bradstocks didn’t know if they could keep him sound enough for another season. Three years older than the novice Gloria Victis, who fell and died in the gold cup aged 6, the same as as Long Run was when he won the gold cup- though Long Run wasn’t a novice.
That gold cup that Thistlecrack didn’t run in did have a fatality, sadly- Invitation Only, who was the nice moderate age of 8 with a win in the Thyestes- a nice moderate time gap- on his previous start. He did have some previous non completions though, and an amateur rider.
So what now?
Ban everything younger than 7,older than 9, novices, amateur riders, horses that have only had one start that year, horses whose previous start was too recent or too long ago, horses who have haven’t won on the prevailing ground, horses with any letters other than BD in their recent history?
If it had been another runner in the gold cup that died – whether cardiac death or breakdown on the flat or a fatal fall- fault could be found.
Gaelic Warrior- bit of a header, too keen, 3 hard races this season, they’re greedy, should have run in the Ryanair
IKTWYT- the absolute state of his form this year, the fall last time, horrid jumping today
L’Homme Presse- too old
Gold Tweet – 100-1 tiny little French horse, came 2nd last on his only prior start over British fences, over a year ago
Actually the only horse not to complete was Haiti Couleurs- the one in the right age bracket, with proven stamina and jumping ability and recent winning form. Ticked all the boxes but did nowt. It’s a strange old game.