Souriyan took a crashing fall at Wincanton on Boxing Day, and poor chap his confidence really has taken a battering. Although 110% right at home, he just wasn’t happy from word go on the track at Ludlow yesterday. His jumping lacked assurance and he just backed off each fence and jumped very cautiously. Although still in touch leaving the back straight a slight error there meant Michael lost his irons and sensibly he pulled him up.
We'll take him back to basics again now, build him back up and look to run him back over hurdles when he is right. We know he can be competitive off his mark, we know he is a good jumper, we know he has the ability; so we need to now get him back after that Wincanton blip. Despite appearing A1 at home, the racetrack is a different place, and he showed he is not 'over' that Wincanton fall. Time will hopefully heal this…as well as a spin back over hurdles.
We will be patient with him now, and get him back in his time. Unfortunately that means the Festival will be out of the equation this year, but he is only 5 years old and he has time on his side.