Somersby will run in the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival next Wednesday – rather than the Ryanair Chase a day later.
Henrietta Knight, who trains the seven-year-old at West Lockinge, near Wantage, announced her stable star will take his chance over the shorter trip as his owner, Camilla Radford, is to undergo chemotherapy on the day of the Ryanair Chase.
Robert Thornton, who rode Somersby to finish runner-up in the Arkle Chase at last year’s festival, before filling the same spot on the horse at Aintree in April, replaces stable jockey Hadden Frost due to his lack of experience in championship events.
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