Like-A-Butterfly, winner of the Irish Champion Hurdle, is understood to be out for the season after suffering a setback.
The highly-talented nine-year-old mare, owned by JP McManus and trained in Kildare by Christy Roche, was being prepared to go novice chasing following a successful hurdling career.
"My mare gave herself a bang on her off-fore tendon and she is out for the season," Roche told the Racing Post.
Like-A-Butterfly had schooled well over fences and was expected to make her mark as a chaser.
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She had been a 16-1 chance with Coral for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase. As well as taking the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January, she won the Gerard Supreme Novices' Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2002.