Tiutchev festival doubts Tiutchev looks set to miss the Cheltenham Festival after suffering a bout of colic. The nine-year-old was forced to miss the feature Ritz Club Ascot Chase and has been taken to the Royal Veterinary College for further observation where he is said to be in a 'stable' condition. Trainer Nicky Henderson explained: 'He arrived at the races perfectly all right but he`s definitely got a form of colic and he`ll go back to the veterinary college. 'Johnny, my travelling head lad, rang me at 10.45 and said the horse just wasn`t comfortable and was pawing at the ground. 'I said I`ll get in the car and you call a vet. 'The vet rang me to say there was absolutely no way he would be able to run. 'The boys know him so well that they were able to spot straight away something was wrong.' Tiutchev would have been a hot favourite for the £65,000 Ascot contest, which was due to be his last run before he tackled the Queen Mother Champion Chase at next month`s Festival. Tiutchev returned to action with an impressive victory at Sandown earlier this month having been off the track since last May due to two bad bouts of colic in the summer. Henderson reported that Tiutchev`s condition seems to have improved but the next 24 hours will be crucial. He said: 'He`s stable which means his heart rate has come down. They won`t go into surgery unless they really have to and won`t do without speaking to me. 'I think you would have to presume Cheltenham is very doubtful which is pretty brutal considering he came here for his prep race and he`s ended up in hospital without even running. 'He`s a lot more comfortable than he was. You would always prefer not to have surgery because once you`re in there it`s an even bigger problem.' Henderson has not entirely ruled out a tilt at Cheltenham but admits that it seems highly unlikely at present. He added: 'We have certainly tried to be fair and keep everybody informed but there`s no point me saying that we`ve got a chance - if there was a miracle and they say he bounces out of his box tomorrow morning and there`s nothing wrong then of course Cheltenham isn`t out. 'But you would have to say on what he was like at 12 o`clock here, he does not look likely to get to Cheltenham I must admit. 'The biggest worry is his long term health.'
