Willie Mullins has threatened to pull his horses from future Cheltenham Festivals after withdrawing Fact To File from the Ryanair Chase. The Willie Mullins-trained favorite was pulled minutes before racing over concerns the ground was too hard for the horse's safety. Mullins claimed organizers had promised watering that never materialized.

Mullins told Racing TV he would reconsider bringing horses to Cheltenham if conditions remain like this. The trainer said they waited all day for promised rain that never came. Jon Pullin, clerk of the course, countered that selective watering had occurred Wednesday evening to maintain good ground conditions. Two horses died earlier in the festival, adding to safety concerns.

The controversy overshadowed an eventful day at Cheltenham where outsider White Noise won the Mares' Novices' Hurdle and Home By The Lee took the Stayers' Hurdle at 33-1. In the final race, 22-1 shot Ask Brewster edged Mullins' Road To Home by a nose in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup. Heart Wood won the Ryanair Chase as the new favorite Jonbon finished second.