Sprinter Sacre has been found to be have suffered a small bleed after running second in his comeback in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot.
Plenty of fanfare surrounded his return to action on Saturday and everything appeared to be going to plan before he tired between the final two fences and was beaten by Dodging Bullets.
He had been off the track for more than a year with a heart problem and while his trainer Nicky Henderson was pleased to give him the all-clear on that front he did report that a small amount of blood was found in his nostrils when he was giving a post-race sample.
“He’s been scoped and the veterinary advice that I am being given is that they don’t think it was anything that affected his performance today, but keeping everyone in the picture they did find some blood in his nostrils when he was examined,” Henderson told Racing UK.
“I could do without it, but I don’t think it’s a serious problem. Celia Marr, the heart specialist, has been here all day and she was delighted with him. I don’t think the two things are in any way connected.
“It’s relevant but not seriously significant.
The winner was trained by Paul Nicholls and ridden by Noel Fehily who said Dodging Bullets would have no problems with the Cheltenham course in March with the plan to run in the Champion Chase.
“It’s another great training performance from Paul Nicholls,” he said.
“They went hard from flag-fall. He stays well, and the Cheltenham hill wouldn’t be any problems for him.
“He’s a great horse.”
