Sharjah has been ruled out of the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on March 15 after suffering a hip injury.
The Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old, second to Epatante and Honeysuckle in the past two runnings of the Tuesday feature, was Paddy Power’s 7-1 third favourite to go one better next month.
But Sharjah’s name was not among the 14 horses left in the Unibet-sponsored test - for which reigning champion Honeysuckle is now a best-priced 1-2 market leader - earlier today.
“Sharjah has a hip injury that is going to cause him a couple of months off,” Joe Chambers, racing manager to Sharjah’s owner Rich Ricci, said.
“He has pulled a muscle off a bone.
“It’s even more disappointing when you look at what is left in the Champion Hurdle.
“There’s a lot of prize money and you would think he would have been odds on to pick a good cheque that is not going to be available now.”
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Sharjah matched the record set by Istabraq and Hurricane Fly when landing Leopardstown’s Grade Matheson Hurdle for the fourth time over Christmas, and Chambers added: “The prognosis is very good.
“We will reassess in a month’s time to see if Punchestown is a possibility, but our main aim is the ‘drive for five’ next Christmas.
“So we wouldn’t rush back for Punchestown if it meant a risk of it recurring - our main focus is Christmas 2022 as opposed to Punchestown 2022.”
Ricci’s Royale Pagaille will bid to book his place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup line-up in Saturday’s Grade 2 Denman Chase at Newbury.
The gelding picked up a foot injury when sixth to Minella Indo in the Festival feature last March.
“It’s a good chance to see where we are, and we’d go for the Gold Cup unless he tells us he really, really shouldn’t," Chambers added.