Racing: Noel Fehily will miss out on riding the strongly-fancied Air Force One in the Stan James King George VI Chase on St Stephen's Day after sustaining a suspected broken collarbone in a fall from Bench Warrent at Fontwell today.
Fehily landed awkwardly after the five-year-old took off a stride early at the first flight on the far side and his injury means trainer Charlie Mann will call on four other Irish jockeys to ride his powerful team at the two-day King George fixture, with Barry Geraghty likely to take the mount on Hennessy Gold Cup second Air Force One.
Mann, who will also lose his stable jockey for Shining Gale in the Feltham Novices' Chase and Laredo Sound in the stanjamesuk.com Novices' Handicap Chase, has approached Geraghty to take over on Air Force One, currently an 8-1 chance with the King George sponsors.
Fehily's injury was sustained four out in the "Window Solutions" Maiden Hurdle just as Bench Warrent was moving into contention.
Mann explained: "The horse stepped at it and it was a horrible fall. I'm taking Noel to get the shoulder X-rayed but it looks a definite break from what I can see. There's no way he'll be riding at Kempton.
"I'm trying to get another jockey sorted out. It's not been a good day at all. I've got Barry Geraghty standing by for Air Force One, Timmy Murphy will hopefully ride Shining Gale in the Feltham and Graham Lee is provisionally booked for Laredo Sound.
"Paul Carberry will probably ride my runner in the first."
At this relatively late stage it is uncertain whether Geraghty, who is riding so successfully for Mann's Lambourn neighbour Nicky Henderson, will be able to have a sit on Air Force One before the race.
David Pipe is hoping his two runners, Our Vic and Tamarinbleu, can pick up a share of the prize money in the big race.
With 11 horses declared competition will be fierce, but Our Vic ran a tremendous race 12 months ago when second to Kauto Star before taking his revenge on Paul Nicholls' ace by a nose in the Betfair Bowl at Aintree.
"If he can run as well as he did last year it will be a great performance," said the trainer. "He's suited by the track and the trip and the blinkers should help."
Tamarinbleu is also not without a chance, having finished second to Snoopy Loopy in the Betfair Chase at Haydock on his reappearance.
"It was a good performance first time out and three miles round Kempton should suit," Pipe went on. "There's prize money down to sixth so we are going to see if we can pick up some of it with our two runners."
Dual winner Kauto Star heads a quality field following the final declaration stage. The 2007 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero bids to become the first horse since the great Desert Orchid (1988-90) to take the prize three years in a row.
The only defector was the 2006 Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition, who instead goes for the Lexus Chase at Leopardstown. However, Exotic Dancer has only been left in as a precaution as connections have warned he is expected to run in the Lexus Chase on Sunday.