Thistlecrack out, Native River new favourite for the Gold Cup

Native River is the new favourite for this year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup following the shock news that antepost jolly Thistlecrack has been withdrawn owing to injury.

The Hennessy Gold Cup, Welsh National and Denman Chase winner now tops the betting at 11/4 with Cue Card shortening to 7/2.

Trainer Colin Tizzard revealed the omission earlier today and told the Racing Post: “Thistlecrack is out. He had heat in his leg last night. The vet scanned him this morning and it’s a slight tendon tear.”

The Dorset handler still holds a strong hand in the Festival showpiece with the clash between his top two in the market now set to dominate proceedings.

However, the four-day extravaganza has been robbed of another star name and the chance to see whether last year’s stunning World Hurdle winner could repeat the trick over fences.

Further down the list, Irish raiders Djakadam (9/2), Outlander (8/1) and Sizing John (8/1) are next best with the rest of the field priced at 14s or bigger.

Latest Ladbrokes Betting:

Cheltenham Gold Cup

Native River – 11/4

Cue Card – 7/2

Djakadam – 9/2

Outlander – 8/1

Sizing John – 8/1

Champagne West – 14/1

16/1 bar

Click here for the latest Cheltenham Gold Cup odds.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing