Annie Mc, a leading hope for the inaugural edition of the Mrs Paddy Power Mares Chase on the final day of this year’s Cheltenham Festival, has been ruled out having met with a small setback.
The seven-year-old daughter of Mahler has gained quite a following of late with back-to-back successes in Listed company at Doncaster and Warwick this season, and this left her as the leading British hope for the first running of this Grade 2 2m 4f race, having been available as short as 7/1 in the betting.
Confirming the news on the Jonjo O’Neill racing Twitter account, the trainer wrote:
“Sadly Annie Mc has suffered a small setback and will not run in the Mares’ Chase on Friday. Unfortunately Cheltenham has just come a week too soon for her.”
Bred by Jay Kavanagh in Wexford, Annie Mc has the misfortune of bumping into none other than leading Champion Hurdle hope Honeysuckle on her debut in a four-year-old mares’ maiden for Sean Doyle, before again bumping into a talented sort in Silver Forever at Bartlemy on her final outing between the flags.
Since being sold to her new owners the Coral Champions Club, she has featured heavily on social media through Coral ambassador, the reality tv star Chris Hughes.
Annie Mc this morning 🐰😍 pic.twitter.com/u3g7SkEeA7
— Chris Hughes (@chrishughes_22) March 15, 2021
