ONE MAN'S Gold Cup flop continued to baffle his connections yesterday as the inquest into what went wrong at Cheltenham got under way.

The grey, beaten nearly 35 lengths into sixth by Imperial Call, was back at trainer Gordon Richards' Greystoke base turned out in a paddock with three rugs on his back and a pony for company.

In the aftermath of the race he had a dope test, ordered by the stewards, but he faces a more rigorous examination over the next few days as Richards and owner John Hales attempt to pinpoint the cause of his defeat.

"At least we've got a healthy looking horse," said Hales yesterday. "We just don't now what happened to him but everything will be done to find out what went wrong. The vet will be looking at him and he will be scoped but he won't be blood tested until Monday because we have to let it cool first."