Wednesday 17 December 2014 13:29, UK
Mad Brian has been ruled out of the Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase at Haydock on Saturday after meeting with a setback.
The Gillian Callaghan-trained gelding missed an engagement over hurdles at Navan on Sunday, due to inflammation in a joint, and is now set for a spell on the sidelines.
Connections are due to assess the injury in the next few days to ascertain the extent of the damage.
The Brian Boru gelding has not been seen in action since unseating at the last when clear in a novice chase at Navan last January. It emerged after that run that he had broken a bone in the back of his knee.
The eight-year-old had sprung to prominence when just losing out in the Troytown Chase at the same venue last November.
"He's after suffering another setback and is out unfortunately," reported Callaghan.
"We'll assess it and see how good or bad it is and we should know in the next couple of days, but he's out for the foreseeable future.
"He's already had a long lay-off so to suffer another setback is unfortunate."
