Lambourn Trainer Oliver Sherwood told the Tote this morning that Champion Bumper hopeful Queens Gamble will not take up her engagement in the listed Henrietta Knight Mares' Open National Hunt Flat Race tomorrow at Huntingdon.
“She had a cough yesterday, just one cough - that I wouldn't usually take notice of. I got a Vet in to give her a tracheal wash,'' said Sherwood.
He continued: “She has got slightly high neutrophils, which means something is going on.
“She as fresh as anything but she’s too good a mare to risk tomorrow.”
Instead of her Huntingdon date the Champion Bumper fancy could have a change of plans that could see her star at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival in the new year.
Sherwood Said: “I’m not 100 percent certain but I'm thinking about giving her a break now.
“She’ll either head to the Alan Swinbank Mares’ bumper at Market Rasen or possibly go to Ireland for the Leopardstown festival.
“She could go straight to Cheltenham, but there is a gap between Cheltneham and Aintree so you could head there afterwards for the mares’ bumper.”
The minor setback is not of a serious nature, the Lambourn trainer said: “It’s not serious, she’s as fresh as anything today and no cough at all.
“I might be being overly cautious but with a filly like that you’re better off being safe than too wreckless.”
