Pandorama '50-50' for Gold Cup after suffering setback

Pandorama: misses Hennessy Gold Cup and Cheltenham bid in jeopardy

  PICTURE: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)  Pandorama '50-50' for Gold Cup after setback
 By Paul Eacott 11:01AM 25 JAN 2011 PANDORAMA, Ireland's leading hope for the Totesport Gold Cup, is rated only 50-50 to make it to Cheltenham in March after bruising a hock.

RELATED LINKS Hennesy betting Hennessy card Gold Cup betting Free bets Gold Cup forumVisit our Cheltenhamwebsite  The Noel Meade-trained eight-year-old is as short as 12-1 for the Gold Cup, but owner Robert Bagnall has revealed that he has met with a setback, which will rule him out of the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown on February 6 and leaves his Cheltenham challenge in jeopardy.

"We think he got a knock in his horsebox at Noel's yard and we brought him out for a small canter on Friday and he came back slightly lame," Bagnall told At The Races.

"Over the weekend, he walked him and he appearedto be alright but when he brought him out this morning he came back lame again and the problem seems to be that he has bruised his hock.

"We did an x-ray on the horse and at first it appeared to be a little crack in his hock but we x-rayed the other hock as well and it was identical so we are just hoping that it is a bruised hock and obviously he is going to rest for a week which rules him out of the Hennessey which is coming up too soon." 

Bagnall added: "It is my lifelong ambition to get to Cheltenham and Noel thinks and hopes that it is just a temporary setback that he should get back into training and come alright. He thinks the chances are a good 50-50 that we will get him there.

"It is unfortunate when you get a good one, and you only get one good one in a lifetime. It is just very unfortunate so we hope and pray that it might be just a temporary setback and we will get him to Cheltenham.

"It is definitely not career-threatening to him but on the other hand it could be season-threatening if it is anything more serious than bruising. Withina week we should know for certain."

Pandorama has run twice this season, winning the Grade 1 Lexus Chase at Leopardstown by six lengths on his most recent start, having been pulled up in the Hennessy at Newbury on his seasonal reappearance.

Following the news that Pandorama will miss the Hennessy, Paddy Power make Pride Of Dulcote their new 13-8 favourite for the race, with Joncol next in at 11-4.

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