Mill fine after Cheltenham mishap John Ferguson has given Cotton Mill a clean bill of health after his unfortunate exit in the Neptune Investment Management Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham last week. The only horse who threatened to give impressive winner Simonsig a race, Cotton Mill attempted to run out at the second-last flight and deposited Denis O'Regan on to the turf. Cotton Mill then fell over the last hurdle while running loose, but escaped from his experiences unharmed, with a trip to Aintree still not ruled out. "He's absolutely 100% fine, which is good news," said Ferguson. "He's in great shape and is none the worse, surprisingly. "It's such a shame as he's never shown any wayward traits at all before this. "If you wanted any horse to give you a lead over a pole or gate you would choose him. He leads the younger horses at home. "Obviously something caught his attention but I've no idea what. He was drifting to his left and Denis was letting him (drift) because he wanted to stay on the rail. "He lives to fight another day, though, which is the main thing. "I haven't decided if he'll go to Aintree yet. I won't make that decision for at least another two weeks and it helps there's plenty of time between the two this year." Ferguson was also out of luck with New Year's Eve in the Champion Bumper. The four-year-old Motivator gelding looked the winner before fading up the hill to finish second behind Champagne Fever. "I'm more inclined not to take him to Liverpool as he's only a four-year-old," added Ferguson. "It's not final, though, as no decision has been made yet."
