Ferdy Murphy will give Divers plenty of options in the hope of racing on his favoured good ground
Ferdy Murphy will give Divers a number of options as he searches for better ground having bypassed Cheltenham.
Last Updated: 22/11/12 10:21am
The eight-year-old grey has a fine record at Cheltenham, having won at the 2011 Festival and having finished third in last year's Paddy Power, and Murphy had been sweet on his chances ahead of his return.
However, the West Witton handler was disappointed to find the ground unsuitably soft on Saturday morning and declared Divers a non-runner.
Murphy said: "I was amazed how soft the ground was. It's a long time since I've been down there and seen it that testing.
"I don't think it will dry out a lot between now and their next meeting, unless it's particularly dry."
Divers could return to Cheltenham for next month's December Gold Cup, but will be given other engagements.
Murphy said: "He's ready to go, and we'll enter him for the race back at Cheltenham on December 15, but he'll also be in a couple of races at Doncaster on the same day - one over two miles three (furlongs) and one over three miles.
"There is also a race at Kelso on December 9, so he'll probably be entered in four races and we'll go wherever the best ground is."