RACING: French-trained Jair du Cochet, 11 to 2 second favourite for next week's Cheltenham Gold Cup, has had to be put down after injuring himself in training.

Trainer Guillaume Macaire said yesterday: "The horse did his last bit of serious work before Cheltenham this morning.

"He worked brilliantly but when they pulled up they found that he was lame. He had broken a cannon bone . . . and the only thing they could do was put him down."

Jair du Cochet beat 4 to 6 Gold Cup favourite Best Mate in a warm-up race at Huntingdon in November but flopped in the King George VI Chase at Kempton Park in December when he had to be pulled up.

He restored his reputation by winning a big race at Cheltenham in January and had been seen as a threat to Best Mate, Gold Cup winner for the last two years.

His absence sharply boosts Best Mate's chance of emulating the great Arkle a week on Thursday by winning three Cheltenham Gold Cups in succession.

Vet Buffy Shirley-Beavan was at the Macaire yard and explained what happened.

"He did a sparkling piece of work this morning as part of his final preparations for the Gold Cup, but unfortunately he pulled up lame with a very bad fracture to his off-hind cannon bone, which, sadly, could not be repaired," she said.