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Defending Cheltenham Gold Cup champion Inothewayurthinkin’s challenge for this year’s race is ‘up in the air’. The JP McManus-owned star was supplemented into the race 12 months ago, going on to take the huge scalp of the Willie Mullins trained Galopin Des Champs who was bidding on an historic hat-trick.

However this season he has been a shadow of that horse and was beaten 53 lengths on his reappearance at Punchestown, 41 lengths at Leopardstown over Christmas and was toiling when falling at the final fence of the Irish Gold Cup on Monday.

Inothewayurthinkin’s only future entry at the Cheltenham Festival is in the Cheltenham Gold Cup, for which he is a 10-1 chance, but trainer Gavin Cromwell has admitted to doubts about whether he will line up.

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The trainer, who is a William Hill ambassador, said on Thursday: “Inothewayurthinkin is fine after the Irish Gold Cup and he’s back riding out now.

“He was unfortunate to fall at the last after getting tired, but thankfully he was just a bit winded after it and has come out of it fine. I actually thought he’d run an okay race to that point. It was a big improvement from Christmas – it was just a pity to see him fall.

“The reality of it is that he’s now seen as an outside chance for the Gold Cup and he’ll have to take a huge step forward to be competitive there.

“It is still up in the air as to whether he even goes. Unless we’re very happy with him when the time comes, he won’t be going to the Gold Cup.”

Without Inothewayurthinkin, billionaire McManus may be tempted to supplement Fact To File into the Gold Cup as a replacement.

The winner of the Irish Gold Cup was removed from the field at the latest scratching stage in the belief he would run in the Ryanair Chase but his trainer Willie Mullins admitted that option was likely to be discussed.