Nicky Henderson has announced that Might Bite will not run until the Cheltenham Gold Cup after he failed to fire in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day in what was one of the shock racing results of the festive period.
Henderson took to his Unibet column to break the news that he intends to have Might Bite's palate cauterised, just like he did in 2016, and that his star chaser will not be seen on a racecourse until the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 15.
Might Bite, who finished a gallant runner-up to Native River in an epic Cheltenham Gold Cup last season, has failed to sparkle this year as he kicked off his season finishing out the back in the Betfair Chase on his reappearance. He then went on to finish seventh in the King George VI Chase and Henderson is hoping to recapture the gelding's form that saw him win the RSA Chase at the Cheltenham Festival earlier in his career.
Speaking on his column, Henderson said:
We have not heard any noises, but after considerable discussions with our experts they suggest this may be the best course of action. It is not a 100% ‘cure’ but eight times out of 10 it is respiratory, so it makes perfect sense to go ahead with the procedure, which will happen today.
Might Bite wasn't seen again after Boxing Day last year as after winning the 2017 King George VI Chase he didn't reappear until the Cheltenham Gold Cup, so Henderson isn't overly worried about the big break in between runs, and he has said that his star chaser will only miss two weeks work.
Bookmakers have been quick to ease Might Bite in the betting for the 2019 Cheltenham Gold Cup after two mediocre runs and the Seven Barrows inmate is as big as 16/1 with some firms to claim the coveted Prestbury Park prize in the spring.
