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Tom Scudamore fit and on course to ride Thistlecrack in Betfair Chase

Tom Scudamore will be back on board Thistlecrack this Saturday.
Tom Scudamore will be back on board Thistlecrack this Saturday. Photograph: Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

Tom Scudamore has been passed fit to ride Thistlecrack in Saturday’s keenly anticipated Betfair Chase despite fears he might have sustained significant injuries at Cheltenham last Saturday. The veteran jockey was taken to hospital that evening and has not raced since, but he was cleared by the sport’s senior medical adviser, Dr Jerry Hill, after a series of tests at Oaksey House in Lambourn on Wednesday.

“Obviously, I got a bit of a kicking from King’s Socks on Saturday,” Scudamore said. “They took me to hospital more as a precaution because I was a bit short of breath and they wanted to make sure I hadn’t punctured a lung or anything. That was all-clear, I had some x-rays and I just needed a couple of days off.”

Scudamore said he never doubted that he would be fit to return to action at some point this week. Just the same, it is a relief to him that he will not be barred from continuing his association with Thistlecrack, on whom he won the King George VI Chase in 2016.

No other jockey has sat on the horse in a race since he was fifth under Aidan Coleman in the Imperial Cup three and a half years ago. The following month, Scudamore and Thistlecrack won a Grade One at Aintree by a wide margin at 25-1.

“I feel good,” the jockey added. “Been a lot better with each passing day. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself on Saturday night but I rode out yesterday and this morning. It was painful watching my brother’s horse win yesterday with someone else on it, but other than that it’s been fine.”

Thistlecrack has been hampered by injuries in the last 18 months and punters are mostly sceptical about his chance of returning to top-class form on Saturday, making him a 10-1 shot against Might Bite, Native River and Bristol De Mai. “He’s looking well,” Scudamore reports. “I’m very happy with him, Colin Tizzard is very happy with him, but he’s got to go and show it. It’s going to be a tremendous race and there’s no reason we can’t be very competitive. He feels in a good vein of form but obviously it’s a different thing from going and doing it for real.”

A decision is expected on Thursday on whether Might Bite will be partnered by his regular jockey, Nico de Boinville, who is struggling with a thumb injury. Noel Fehily is on standby to take the ride if needed.

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