Silver Birch out for a year

Grand National winner Silver Birch has been ruled out for the season by his trainer Gordon Elliott.

Elliott had planned to use the Woodlands Park 100 Brown Lad Handicap Hurdle at Naas on Saturday as the first step on the long road back to Aintree but those plans have now had to be shelved.

The 10-year-old knocked his leg and a subsequent scan showed enough damage to force Elliott in to making a heartbreaking decision.

“He gave himself a knock to his near-fore and while it’s not too serious, after talking to the owner we’ve decided to give him a year off,” said Elliott.

“It’s nothing serious and I suppose if we rushed him we could have him back after Christmas, but a bang is a bang.

“If he wasn’t the horse he was, he could be doctored up and rushed back but he doesn’t deserve that and it might do him more harm in the long run.

“Since we got him last year we’ve never had a day’s trouble with him and, if anything, he had got stronger this year.

“But, that’s jump horses for you and this is very disappointing for everybody at the yard,” he told the Racing Post.