Marie's Rock has been ruled out for the rest of the season after sustaining a stress fracture and so will miss the Cheltenham Festival.
The Nick Henderson-trained mare had been expected to challenge for Mares' Novices' Hurdle glory at Prestbury Park after wins at Haydock and Taunton this year.
However, Henderson has now confirmed the five-year-old won't be involved in the Festival next month.
“We'd just had a little problem and unfortunately she's got a little stress fracture, which we found as a result of an MRI scan,” he said.
“She'll be perfectly fine for next year but unfortunately it rules her out of this season. It's very frustrating.”
