Monkfish, who is trained by Willie Mullins, is set to bypass the first half of the new jumps season. The chaser suffered a training setback, that saw him miss the whole of last season with a tendon injury, and he’s not fully recovered. However, the ‘good news’ is that Mullins still expects Monkfish to be in contention for the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup, which will be run on 17th March.
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Monkfish To Miss First Half Of The New Horse Racing Jumps Season
The two-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winning trainer, Willie Mullins, has told the racing media this week that one of his star names – MONKFISH – will be absent during the first part of the new season.
His 8 year-old, who runs in the popular Ricci pink and green silks, was forced to sit on the sidelines for the whole of last term with a tendon injury and it seems his recovery from that has taken a bit longer than expected.
The 2021 Cheltenham Festival Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase winner had been popular in the betting for the 2023 Gold Cup behind last year’s winner – A Plus Tard @ 7/2 with BetUK.
Monkfish is still on offer @ 16/1 with BetUK for the 2023 Gold Cup (see the main runners and odds below), with his stablemate Galopin Des Champs vying for the top spot in the betting @ 7/2 with BetUK.
Mullins told the Racing Post: “He’s not going to be trained for the early part of the season. It’s still a possibility that he could be back for the second half of the campaign. He’s making progress in his recovery.”
Monkfish Horse Profile (as of April 21)
- Trainer/Owner: Willie Mullins / Mrs S Ricci
- Age: 8
- Total Runs: 10
- Total Wins: 7
- Chase Record: 4 from 5
- Career Earnings: £295,325
Mullins A Master At Getting One Ready For Cheltenham Off A Break
The ‘great news’ for Monkfish fans is that the 16-time Irish Champion trainer Willie Mullins is certainly no stranger to getting one ready for the Cheltenham Festival off a break.
Quevega landed won the Mares’ Hurdle six times and five of those successes came after a break of 290+ days. Add in that Al Boum Photo also landed ‘back-to-back’ Cheltenham Gold Cups wins after only one previous outing in each of those seasons further backs this up.
Latest Monkfish Horse Racing Odds for 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup
We take a look those at the head of the 2023 Cheltenham Gold Cup market, with last year’s winner – A Plus Tard – the current joint-favourite.
All odds correct as of 12:07 BST on Weds 10 Aug and subject to change
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What Date Is The 2023 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup?
📅Date: Friday 17th March 2023
🏇Racecourse: Cheltenham
💰 Winner: £351,687.50
📺 TV: ITV / Racing TV
Watch A Plus Tard Winning The 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup
