Injured Ollie misses Cheltenham

ANOTHER Cheltenham Festival favourite bit the dust yesterday when Ollie Magern was ruled out for the rest of the season with a leg injury.

The Nigel Twiston-Davies trained gelding joins Best Mate on the easy list after the triple Gold Cup hero defected from the blue riband after breaking a blood vessel.

Ollie Magern, who was being considered for the Gold Cup, was as low as 11-4 market leader for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase.

Twiston-Davies told Racing UK: “He has got a hairline fracture of his off-hind rear cannon-bone. It is nothing serious, but he will have to have an operation and have some pins put in it, and the prognosis is that he should be fine for next season.”