4-time Cheltenham Competition winner Altior was reported to be combating for his life on Wednesday after struggling a “extreme” bout of colic.
He has undergone two operations and Nicky Henderson wrote in his Unibet weblog: “We’re all praying and doing the whole lot humanely doable to make sure he can pull by way of.”
The 13-year-old was retired in 2021 to reside with former jockey Mick Fitzgerald however his coach revealed: “It was found on Saturday morning that he was affected by a extreme bout of colic.
“As a consequence, he was taken to the equine hospital very in a short time the place he needed to endure a four-hour operation to take away a substantial quantity of his gut. It was a giant operation and never easy.
“On Sunday morning, he was nonetheless extraordinarily uncomfortable so needed to endure additional surgical procedure on account of issues. There may be some moderately constructive information in the truth that this morning [Wednesday] he’s steady, however nonetheless vital.”
Altior gained 21 races for proprietor Patricia Pugh, touchdown the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, Arkle Chase and two Queen Mom Champion Chases at Cheltenham in successive years from 2016 to 2019.
“Pat Pugh has been to see him on a number of events and he’s at the moment in extraordinarily good palms with the entire staff at Donnington Valley,” Henderson wrote.
“It’s a horrible disgrace as a result of he deserves an extended and completely happy retirement and was actually having fun with life at Chloe and Mick Fitzgerald’s. It’s been extraordinarily robust, and no horse deserves this, particularly expensive Altior who gave a lot pleasure to everybody on the monitor.
“We’re all praying and doing the whole lot humanely doable to make sure he can pull by way of and proceed residing life as he ought to.”
Courtesy of Racing Put up