Carberry to miss Cheltenham

Racing : Paul Carberry is to miss all four days of the Cheltenham Festival after failing to recover from a foot injury he suffered…

Racing: Paul Carberry is to miss all four days of the Cheltenham Festival after failing to recover from a foot injury he suffered last weekend.

He had hoped to be given the all-clear to resume for next week's showpiece meeting, but his boss Noel Meade has confirmed that he will miss the whole Festival.

As a result, Meade has taken advantage of the absence of Macs Joy by snapping up Barry Geraghty for the ride on Iktitaf in the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle, but riding plans for hot Ballymore Properties Novices' Hurdle favourite Aran Concerto are still to be decided.

"Paul is not going to ride next week," said Meade. "He visited the doctor today and he has advised him not to ride and the foot is not improving the way they had hoped.

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"Barry Geraghty will ride Iktitaf in the Champion Hurdle, but we haven't confirmed anyone yet for Aran Concerto. I should know more tomorrow."

Al Eile meanwhile,  is the latest Irish hopeful to have been ruled out of next week's Festival. The seven-year-old finished fourth in last year's Champion Hurdle but has failed to sparkle in three starts over hurdles this term.

Al Eile finished last in the December Festival Hurdle on his  most recent outing and trainer John Queally has abandoned hopes of running his 100-1 chance at the Festival.

He said: "It's unfortunate but we have just run out of time with him. He's had a couple of little problems this year and although he's fine in himself, we've just had to rush him a bit.

"Hopefully we will go to Aintree with him now."

Macs Joy and Harchibald have already withdrawn from the same race.

Last week, both of Ireland's main contenders for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, War Of Attrition and In Compliance, were ruled out of the festival and the top novice hurdler, Arrive Sir Clive, also picked up a muscle injury during the week which keeps him out of the Ballymore Properties Novice Hurdle.