Al out of RSA
Weird Al, one of the leading fancies for Wednesday’s RSA Chase, will miss the Cheltenham race after suffering a leg injury.
The seven-year-old suffered a suspected fracture of his off-fore cannon bone at trainer Ian Williams’ Alvechurch gallops.
Already a winner at Cheltenham twice this season, he was last seen claiming the Towton Novices’ Chase at Wetherby under substitute jockey Paddy Brennan as his usual partner Noel Fehily had already been ruled out of the Festival through injury himself.
Williams said: “He has a potential stress fracture of his cannonbone and he will have an MRI scan next week which should confirm the injury.
“I have never been so devastated about a horse before and I’m mortified for the owners. This wasn’t any race meeting, it was Cheltenham.
“He was to have gone there for the RSA in an exceptional year with an excellent chance in my book.
“We still have him and thankfully the prognosis from our team of vets is very good.”
Weird Al was third favourite at a general 7-1 for the staying novices’ championship.
