Australia's leading hurdler Black And Bent will not be taking his chance at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival in March.(credit:
Sleepless in Somerset)
Australia's leading hurdler Black And Bent will not be taking his chance at the 2012 Cheltenham Festival in March.
The seven-year-old had been quoted at 50/1 to win the Champion Hurdle and after winning ten hurdles races and earning over A$800,000, there had been talk he could be sent on a surprise mission to Prestbury Park.
However, trainer Robert Smerdon has resisted the temptation to seven the seven-year-old over to Britain and he explained: "We thought about a lot of factors, but he won't be coming over to England.
"I think it's important to recognise just how strong jumps racing is over there compared to in Australia, so we've got to put the horse's interests first.
"It would have been really exciting to see how he got on - he's a top-level jumper - but it would be too big a risk travelling half-way round the world.
"We also thought about going to Japan in April , but there's a lot of good prize-money available in this country.
"He's only just back in training, anyway, so we'll probably look to start him off in May.
"If he has a trouble-free preparation next year, Cheltenham would again be a possibility."