Hell's Bay will be on the sidelines for the Cheltenham Festival
Leading Jewson Novices' Chase candidate Hell's Bay has sustained a leg injury and will miss the Cheltenham Festival.
Trainer Colin Tizzard was forced to scratch the nine-year-old from the inaugural running of the two-and-a-half-mile contest after a scan revealed the damage.
"He's got a touch of a leg. It was scanned this morning and he's not right, so he's out," said the Dorset handler.
"It's only a small hole, but it's there. It's only a little bit, but we can't take any risks so we've stopped.
"We'll have him back in the autumn now."
Hell's Bay shot to prominence in the Cheltenham reckoning after proving himself a top novice with a victory over Medermit in the Dipper Chase at the track on New Year's Day.
