Irish pair to miss Fighting Fifth
The pair looked likely favourites for the Grade One event over two miles but a pulled muscle has accounted for Macs Joy while Harchibald has suffered a slight injury at home.
Jessica Harrington, trainer of Macs Joy, confirmed: “He won’t be coming over as he has sprained a muscle in his backside.
“It’s nothing too serious, he was just a bit stiff this afternoon.”
The County Kildare handler will now give the Religiously gelding time to recover before plotting his new target.
“We will most likely wait until Christmas with him now as I didn’t put him in the Bula (Boylesports.com International) as he was going to run this weekend,” she added.
“It would be pushing to get him back for that so we will go to either Leopardstown or Kempton instead.”
Harchibald’s trainer Noel Meade also thinks the Cheltenham event on December 9 may come too soon for his charge, who pulled out lame on Tuesday evening.
“He worked yesterday morning and were absolutely delighted with him but last evening he was very slightly lame on his near hind,” he said. It’s nothing to do with the injury he got last year and it appears to be up high.”
