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Why Sir Alex Ferguson’s £640,000 horse will not run at Cheltenham Festival this week
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- Why Sir Alex Ferguson’s £640,000 horse will not run at Cheltenham Festival this week
Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
Sir Alex Ferguson will have several runners at the Cheltenham Festival this week.
However, one of the most expensive horses connected to the Manchester United legend will not be part of the meeting.
Caldwell Potter, who cost connections £640,000 at the Caldwell Construction dispersal sale in February 2024, has been ruled out for the season.
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The seven-year-old had been expected to build on a strong campaign before suffering a setback.
Sir Alex Ferguson's Caldwell Potter is missing Cheltenham Festival
Caldwell Potter's purchase made the seven-year-old one of the most expensive horses currently owned by the former Manchester United manager.
Caldwell Potter ended last season in excellent form, winning the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival before following up with victory in the Mildmay Novices' Chase at Aintree.
However, trainer Paul Nicholls confirmed in October that the horse had picked up a small injury following a gallop at Newbury, meaning he would miss the remainder of the season.
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
"It's with great disappointment that I'm informing everyone that after Caldwell Potter's gallop at Newbury on Monday, he sustained a small injury, which, after consultation with vets and his owners, will mean he misses the rest of this season.
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"Obviously, it's a big blow for everyone involved with him, but he will be back."
The injury means Caldwell Potter will miss the entire 2025/26 jumps campaign, including this week's Cheltenham Festival.
Sir Alex Ferguson still has four runners at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival
Despite Caldwell Potter missing the meeting, Sir Alex Ferguson will still have four runners competing at the 2026 Cheltenham Festival.
The first of those is L'Eau Du Sud, who runs in the Champion Chase at 16:00 on Wednesday.
Ferguson will then have two runners on Thursday. Regent's Stroll is set to run in the Jack Richards Novices' Limited Handicap Chase at 14:00, while Il Ridoto will compete in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup at 17:20.
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The final runner connected to Ferguson this week is Maestro Conti, who lines up in the Triumph Hurdle at 13:20 on Friday.
With runners spread across three days of the Festival, the Manchester United icon will still have several chances to add to his Cheltenham success this week.
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