'He's 50-50 to make it' - Stayers' Hurdle hero Flooring Porter a festival doubt

Flooring Porter has met with a setback and his bid for a third Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle in a row hangs in the balance according to trainer Gavin Cromwell.

The star of the staying hurdle division was generally a 5-1 shot to emulate Inglis Drever by winning the Stayers' Hurdle for a third time, a feat which would get him within one victory of Big Buck's, but his participation is now only rated 50-50 by his trainer. However, he has now been pushed out to 12-1 with the race sponsors.

Cromwell told the Racing Post on Wednesday: "Unfortunately, Flooring Porter has suffered a setback and it's going to be tight as to whether he will make Cheltenham or not. I would say at this stage it's probably 50-50. The next three weeks will tell a lot, but he will be missing bits of work which is not ideal.

"It is not a career-threatening injury or anything like that, it is just a small setback which is going to hold us up a bit."

Danny Mullins is carried into the winner's enclosure after Flooring Porter's victory in the Stayers' HurdleCredit: Patrick McCann (racingpost.com/photos)

The rags-to-riches tale of Flooring Porter has been one of jump racing's biggest success stories in recent years. He was beaten in his first four races and was only rated 95 when he won a maiden hurdle at Bellewstown in 2019.

Since winning a handicap hurdle at Gowran Park in 2020, he has gone from strength to strength and he now boasts a rating of 162 having won at the last two Cheltenham Festivals.

Flooring Porter tends to save his best for the spring and he was beaten at Navan and Leopardstown on his way to winning his second Stayers' Hurdle in 2022 under another superb front-running steer from Danny Mullins.

The eight-year-old has had a similar prep this year. He was fourth to Home By The Lee in the Lismullen Hurdle at Navan in November, beaten 12 lengths, but he got within three and three-quarter lengths of the same horse in the Jack de Bromhead Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.

Flooring Porter has been vying for favouritism for the Stayers' Hurdle all season, but news of his setback has seen Home By The Lee harden into 4-1 favourite with Paddy Power.

Ned Hogarty, who has a flooring business in Galway, owns Flooring Porter with father and son Tommy and Alan Sweeney, as well as Kerril Creaven, and the scenes of them carrying Mullins on their shoulders after last year's Stayers Hurdle victory was one of the most memorable moments of the entire festival. His absence from the 2023 festival would be a big blow to the Thursday card at Cheltenham.

Paddy Power Stayers' Hurdle (3.30, March 16)

Paddy Power: 4 Home By The Lee, 7 Klassical Dream, 8 Teahupoo, 10 Blazing Khal, Ashdale Bob, Paisley Park, Saint Sam, 12 Flooring Porter, Marie's Rock, 14 bar

Read this next:

Cotswold Chase option for Gold Cup fancy Noble Yeats after vaccination error

Sign up here. Place 5 x £10 Sportsbook bets on any market at minimum odds of 2.0 (evens) and get money back as cash if it loses. Max refund per qualifying bet is £10 (up to £50 in total). Only deposits made via cards will be eligible for the promotion (Apple Pay excluded). T&Cs apply. Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators that our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing.