Willie Mullins, who enjoyed a wonderful Cheltenham Festival in 2024, suffered a blow before this year’s meeting with the leading candidate Kawaboomga, which was excluded by injuries.
On the second day of the festival, the five -year -old was one of the favorites for the hurdle of the Turner ‘Novices hurdle, but will stay in Ireland and miss the rest of the season.
It is an early setback for Mullins who was the most successful coach with nine victories compared to the Gloucestershire 12 months ago.
Kawaboomga belongs to JP McManus, whose race director Frank Berry said: “Unfortunately, Kawaboomga had a setback and will miss the rest of the season.
“He is a big, big horse and it’s disappointing, but hopefully it’s all a good thing if we have it back for autumn.”
However, Mullins and McManus have other horses in the race and could still appear victorious.
The final demand trained by Mullins is the favorite of the stem, with McManus having its colors on the new lion.
