Noble Yeats misses key prep run at Lingfield because of vaccination status

Cheltenham Gold Cup second favourite Noble Yeats will not run in Lingfield's Fleur De Lys Chase on Sunday after the BHA confirmed he is not qualified to take part in it due to his vaccination record not being compliant with the rules of racing.

Last year's Grand National hero had been set to contest the 2m6f race as part of his prep for the Gold Cup, but he has now been ruled out.

A BHA statement said: "Vaccinations must have been administered, uploaded to the Weatherbys app and verified by a veterinary surgeon before the close of entries to avoid a horse being not qualified. In the case of Noble Yeats, this process was not completed in time, meaning the horse is not qualified to run.

"This change to the rules of racing came into effect this month, following a 12-month transition period to allow trainers to adjust to the changes to the vaccine booster intervals. The BHA and IHRB have taken a co-ordinated approach to its implementation."

The eight-year-old has been successful in two of his three starts this season, including when he shot into Gold Cup contention with an impressive win in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree last month.

Owned by Robert Waley-Cohen, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2011 with Long Run, Noble Yeats is a general 6-1 for the festival contest behind 6-4 market leader Galopin Des Champs.

With Noble Yeats absent, 12 remain in contention for the Fleur De Lys Chase including last year's winner Two For Gold and multiple Grade 1 winner Bristol De Mai.

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