'Nigel says he's flying' - popular chaser Cogry to come out of retirement

Cogry can be added to the list of shortest sporting retirements alongside the likes of Floyd Mayweather jnr, Conor McGregor and Paul Scholes with the 12-year-old set to resume his career as early as this weekend.

Cogry had appeared to race for the final time when pulled up behind subsequent King George VI Chase winner Frodon in a handicap chase at Cheltenham in October, his second substandard run in a row, after which it was announced he had been retired.

However, puzzled by the lacklustre efforts on the racecourse and on the gallops at home, trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies opted to give the nine-time winner a full veterinary check to determine if there was an underlying issue, with a problem detected with Cogry's heart.

Cogry: 'absolutely bouncing up the gallops at home' according to owner Graham JelleyCredit: John Grossick (racingpost.com/photos)

Graham Jelley, who owns Cogry with his wife Alison, said: "Nigel gave him a full MOT after his last Cheltenham run and found that he had AF [atrial fibrillation]. He had probably been suffering with it for some time, so they managed to correct it and he's come back absolutely bouncing up the gallops at home.

"His previous run had been at the festival and it was the same [as October] in that he was fine on the first circuit then he just stopped. They knew he wasn't training that well before he went to Cheltenham but they thought a run might perk him up, which it didn't and we made noises about retiring him."

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Cogry has been entered in the Virgin Bet Masters Handicap Chase (3.30) at Sandown on Saturday, as well as Haydock's William Hill Grand National Trial on February 20, and Jelley is a mixture of nervous and excitement about the prospect of him running.

"We're going to be on eggshells a little bit with him when he comes back, but Nigel says he's flying and seems to be as well as he ever has been," he said. "Whether he runs or not will depend on whether the meetings are taking place, but Nigel doesn't tend to put too many obstacles up when it comes to running horses."

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