Friday 17 November 2017 16:38, UK
Nicky Henderson has stressed he could not have got the news out any quicker about star two-mile chaser Altior being ruled out of the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown next month due to a wind problem.
The Seven Barrows trainer came in for criticism in some quarters for the method and timing of the announcement on Wednesday evening.
Altior had drifted markedly in the betting for the Grade One on December 9, for which he was a short-priced market leader, but Henderson, who issued the news in a statement to bookmakers Unibet, for whom he is an ambassador, believes he did everything by the book.
In the statement, Henderson revealed his team had decided to investigate after Altior had made a "whistling noise" on Saturday.
"I am seriously disappointed and incredibly upset with some of the attitudes taken by members of the press and media and television," Henderson told ITV Racing.
"This issue raised its ugly head on Tuesday and I was only thinking on Wednesday afternoon we could not have done this any better, any quicker or more professionally.
"Then we have 'Altior-gate'. It's ridiculous. I am, to say the very least, extremely upset with some of the insinuations made because we have done everything by the book. You could not have done this any quicker.
"The only thing I was waiting for on Wednesday was a second opinion which I got at four o'clock in the afternoon and we went to the press immediately."
Asked whether there had been a problem on Saturday, Henderson said: "The first opinion was on Tuesday. If you go to every horse that ever made a squeak in your life I'd spend my whole time sat behind a desk doing nothing.
"Of course we had a look for a good reason, but I had no reason to believe there was anything wrong.
"They (Unibet) do a blog for me, I talk to them and it's given to the press. It's just the same as ringing the PA (Press Association). We did that with Sprinter Sacre last year. I think we go out of our way to co-operate."
Henderson reported Altior underwent a small procedure on Friday to rectify the problem and the target remains to get the horse ready for the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March.
"This is pretty disappointing for ourselves, in fact it's devastating. He had done what we had to do to him without a general anaesthetic. That's important and is a big help," he said.
"We have a time schedule put together. He has two weeks' box rest, then we can start walking. Time is tight. Our only objective is to get to the Champion Chase.
"How we get there is our job and we will keep everybody posted.
"It's a common thing. Might Bite had it done last season and Sprinter Sacre had it done as a five-year-old."
