Willie Mullins has threatened to pull horses out of the Cheltenham Festival after expressing his frustration at the ground on the track. The Irish trainer has claimed that promises were not kept as he criticised a lack of watering on the racecourse.

Fact To File, trained by Mullins, was due to race in the Ryanair Chase on Thursday at Cheltenham, and was the overnight odds-on favourite for the 4pm race. It was confirmed hours before the race that the horse would be a non-runner, with Mullins later not hiding his frustration at the ground and condition of the track, which was deemed good and good to soft in places.

“If the ground is going to be like this, we’re not going to bring them,” Mullins told Racing TV. “We were promised watering. And I’m not sure the watering we were promised has been done. I’m a little bit annoyed about that.

“I know the weather forecast hasn’t been kind but very few people complain about too much rain and a bit of watering. But this isn’t good for the type of horses we’re bringing over here.

“I know it suits some horses but for the majority of the good, big, National Hunt horses, we’d like it a little softer.”

Before the decision was made to make Fact to File a non-runner, owner JP McManus also expressed concerns for the ground and was in agreement with Mullins.

“I left it to Willy, but I can overrule him,” McManus told ITV Sport earlier in the day on Thursday. “I have to say I found it, too much for him, I was a bit, part of the course, altogether, not to my liking

“I’ve walked the track every day, they’ve done a great job, but I think they could’ve done more, especially at the top of the track, not everyone would agree with me, if there’s significant rain, he’ll run, if there’s not, he won’t.”

Fact to File won the Ryanair Chase in last year’s festival, and was deemed to be the favourite before being withdrawn from the race.

Heart Wood, ridden by jockey Darragh O’Keeffe and trained by Henry De Bromhead, would win the Grade 1 race. Favourite Jonbon would finish second, while Banbridge would complete the placings with a third-place finish.

Mullins would not have any winners on Day Three of the Festival, but did get a third-place finish in the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle with Place De La Nation. The Irish trainer also had four runner-up finishes with Gold Dancer in the Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase, Jade De Grugy in the Mares’ Hurdle, Ballyburn in the Stayers’ Hurdle and Road To Home in the Kim Muir Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Chase.