Carruthers is set for a third crack at the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup tomorrow – after recovering from a near life-threatening injury.

The nine-year-old gelding, from Mark Bradstock’s Letcombe Bassett stables, near Wantage, suffered a nasty cut to his near hind leg on his last outing in the Coral Welsh National at Christmas.

Bradstock’s wife, Sara, explained: “He was struck into at Chepstow.

“I think to be fair we all thought he had got into a bit of a sulk because he couldn’t get to the front, but when we saw the wound after it was significant enough that it affected his pushing power.

“It took eight or nine stitches, and the thing was it was through to the bone.

“If it had been an artery it could have been fatal and if it had been his suspensory it could have been the end of his racing career.”

Carruthers, bred and part-owned by Sara’s father, Lord Oaksey, raced on despite the injury before eventually being pulled up by jockey Mattie Batchelor.

However, it had a side effect, which ruled him out of running in Gold Cup trials at Cheltenham and Newbury.

Sara said: “Because he had gone on racing round, it meant he had put too much strain on the other side of his quarters, so when we started to get him ready, he had a slight hamstring tweak and his gluteal muscles in his quarters were a bit sore as well.

“He was never physically lame, but he was a bit sore and it took a bit of time to come right, but now he is in brilliant form.”

The Chepstow run was in stark contrast to his previous start when he recorded a fairy-tale victory in the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury.

“That was his biggest day – that was incredible really,” said Sara.

“I don’t think I could really believe it happened – it was amazing. You dream it will happen, but you are not sure it ever will.

“It proved that fairy-tales come true and you can go and beat the big boys because he was just a first foal out of a mare that cost £2,000 and a lot of these horses cost £250,000.”

Now Carruthers is set to run at his fifth Festival, with an unplaced run in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle being followed by a fourth place in the RSA Chase, before the last two Gold Cups in which he was fourth to Imperial Commander and unplaced behind Long Run.

He will again be a big outsider with bookmakers making him a 66-1 chance for chasing’s blue riband.

And Sara added: “If Long Run and Kauto Star are at their best I cannot pretend that they will not have too much speed for us, but if they are not at their best we will still be going at the end.

“Some races like the King George are always won by the top echelon, but the Gold Cup has been won by Cool Ground (25-1) and Norton’s Coin (100-1).

“You do get weird things happen at Cheltenham.”