Shattered Love will head straight to the Cheltenham Gold Cup instead of featuring in the Irish version at Leopardstown on February 3.
The Gordon Elliott-trained eight-year-old, who won last year’s LT Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, was on course to feature in the Irish Gold Cup and then head to Prestbury Park in March.
However, after starting the current campaign with runner-up finishes at Down Royal and in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase, Shattered Love returned home sore after finishing last from 10 runners in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown last month.
As a result, Elliott will resist the temptation to race her next month and instead keep his powder dry for Cheltenham with Noble Endeavor, Outlander and The Storyteller set to feature at Leopardstown instead.
He said: “She won’t be running in the Irish Gold Cup, because she came home with sore shins from Leopardstown the last day. “For me the ground will definitely be too quick to run her and we’ll go straight for the (Cheltenham) Gold Cup with her. “She’s back hacking away steady.
But I don’t want to take a chance on that type of ground again with her, because I could mess the rest of the season up if I did.”
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