Owl flops over hurdles Arctic Owl was taken out of the betting on the Smurfit Champion Hurdle after a damp squib of a jumping debut at Doncaster today.The classy Flat racer had been a 16-1 shot for the Cheltenham showpiece with Ladbrokes, who removed the gelding from their list after he trailed in a remote fourth in a Stg#4,500-added novice event on rainy Town Moor.The former Irish St Leger winner, having his first race since finishing fifth in the Melbourne Cup in November 2000, threatened briefly as he made headway under Robert Thornton rounding the home turn.But his effort had come to an end by the second-last flight and he was eventually beaten over 20 lengths behind winner Dramatic Quest.Arctic Owl`s trainer James Fanshawe blamed the soft going and said: 'Hindsight is a very easy thing but I probably shouldn`t have run him on that ground - I definitely shouldn`t have - but he`s won on the soft on the Flat.'Robert said he got very tired.'We`ll go back and see how he is but we hadto get a run into him if he we were going to go to Cheltenham. I`m relieved he`s OK - I just hope he`s OK in the morning.'Winner Dramatic Quest is being aimed at the Gerrard Supreme Novices` Hurdle at Cheltenham by trainer Ian Williams.
