Rooneys tell trainers not to enter horses at Cheltenham over injury fears following two fatalities Clare and Paul Rooney have written to their trainers over injury concerns The pair do not want their horses entered into races at Cheltenham Horses Starchitect and Melrose Boy both suffered fatal injuries at the courseBy Marcus Townend for the Daily Mail Published: 20:15 GMT, 1 January 2019 | Updated: 20:55 GMT, 1 January 2019 Viewcomments Leading owners Clare and Paul Rooney have instructed their trainers not to enter horses at Cheltenham in a move which will ensure the welfare debate at the HQ of jumps racing remains a hot topic of discussion in the countdown to the Festival in March. Trainers who have horses with the Rooneys, who have had 27 winners this season and are second to JP McManus in the jumps owners championship, confirmed they had received letters but were reluctant to comment further. Former jockey Jason Maguire, who is now the Rooneys' racing manager, also declined to comment when asked to explain the decision. Owner Paul Rooney has written to trainers to request they do not enter horses at Cheltenham Rooney-owned Willoughby Court won the Neptune Investment Novices' Hurdle at the 2017 Cheltenham Festival but they have only had two runners at the course this season. They have endured some unfortunate incidents involving their horses at the track. Starchitect sustained a fatal injury when about to win the 2017 Caspian Caviar Gold Cup while Melrose Boy had to be put down following an operation to treat injuries sustained at last season's Festival. The Rooneys' horse Melrose Boy had to be put down after injuries sustained at Cheltenham The Rooneys' best horses headed by Harry Fry-trained Christmas Hurdle third If The Cap Fits would have been expected to run at the Festival where welfare will be in the spotlight after the BHA review which followed the six deaths last year. Asked to comment on the decision, Simon Claisse, Cheltenham's clerk of the course and director of racing, said: 'Until we have communication with the Rooneys we are unable to comment.' Fellow owner John Hales would not hold the same view as the Rooneys. He regards Cheltenham as 'the theatre of dreams and what jump racing is all about'. The three-mile Stayer Hurdle will be the Festival target of his grey Aux Ptits Soins after the seventh-length win of the Dan Skelton-trained runner in the Betbright Handicap Hurdle on Tuesday. John Hales' Aux Ptits Soins will be targeting victory in the three-mile Stayer Hurdle The talented but fragile nine-year-old won the 2015 Coral Cup when trained by Paul Nicholls but has been restricted to only 12 career starts. Hales said: 'He still has all the class on the world but is such a fragile horse.' The World Hurdle is also the likely target of Sue Smith-trained Midnight Shadow after a no-fuss two-and-a-half-length win under Danny Cook in the Relkeel Hurdle. Jockey Charlie Deutsche, 22, endured a year to forget in 2018, serving two and a half months of a 10-month sentence in HMP Bristol for dangerous driving while over the drink-driving limit following a party in the town in March. The emotion was clear as Deutsche rode his first winner at Cheltenham since his release and seventh of the season on Venetia Williams-trained Aso in the Betbright Handicap Chase. Colin Tizzard felt stamina was the main factor Lostintranslation's Dipper Novices' Chase win Trainer Colin Tizzard understandably felt stamina had been the main factor in the length-and-a-quarter win of Lostintranslation in the Dipper Novices' Chase after he rallied and overhauled runner-up Defi Du Seuil, immediately thinking the three-mile RSA Chase would be the gelding's Festival target. But jockey Robbie Power was adamant Lostintranslation should stick to the two and a half miles of Tuesday's race and he is 6-1 favourite with Paddy Power for the shorter JLT Novices' Chase. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility