Inglis Drever retired

Triple World Hurdle hero Inglis Drever has been retired.

Time has been called on the 10-year-old's illustrious career after he failed to recover from an injury sustained in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November.

Trainer Howard Johnson and owner Graham Wylie hoped he had recovered from that setback after receiving positive X-ray results earlier this month.

But a disappointing workout at the weekend convinced connections to abandon plans to send Inglis Drever back to the Cheltenham Festival, after which the decision was taken to retire him.

Wylie said: "We decided on Saturday that he wasn't really interested in his racing any more.

"We always knew that he would tell us when he wanted to be retired.

"That day has now come."

Inglis Drever made history at the Cheltenham Festival last March when he became the first horse to win the World Hurdle three times.

His indomitable spirit and appetite for a scrap made him one of the most popular National Hunt horses in training.

The brilliant gelding signed off with 17 wins - 12 of which came at Graded level - from 35 starts and amassed nearly #800,000 in prize-money.

He will now retire to Wylie's Chesters Stud at Humshaugh, Hexham.

Johnson breathed a sigh of relief as speculation over Inglis Drever's future has finally come to an end.

"I'm over the moon I've retired him," said the County Durham handler.

"I'm happier in myself now. We put shoes on him the other day, we rode him out and he didn't even want the jockey to get on him.

"He was telling me he'd had enough. We gave him a jog along the road and I wasn't happy, so he's gone into retirement.

"He goes back to Chesters with Lord Transcend at Mr Wylie's place.

"One day we might hopefully find another one like him, but we'll struggle."