Trainer Jonjo O'Neill has closed down his Jackdaws Castle yard for the foreseeable future as a bug has laid low some of his top jumping stars.
He is likely to have just one runner over the busy three-day Christmas racing period, when 13 meetings are scheduled to take place.
Though Quazar is engaged at Kempton on St Stephen's Day, O'Neill has no other runners and does not plan to have any until the 100-plus box yard is free from the bug.
The Gloucestershire stable's top three-mile chaser Keen Leader will miss a clash with three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate at Leopardstown.
O'Neill confirmed: "He's been below par. A few of them have been, so we decided to wait with him."
O'Neill, who made a fast start to the jumps season, has sent out 90 winners so far but has had a 14-runner barren spell since Good Judgement and Campaign Trail landed a double at Towcester on December 13th.
"It's bitterly frustrating," said O'Neill. "We are going to have a quiet time of it until the sickness clears up. A few are not right, not giving us the right signs and haven't scoped well. They are just not firing.
"We'll have a quiet Christmas - we have no choice, really. I suppose it gives me a chance to see the family and though it will be nice to spend a bit of time with the boys, it has been forced upon us.
"There is simply no point in running horses that are below par. It is not fair to them, the owners or to the public.
We have to try and get rid of the sickness and hopefully that won't take too long. There were just too many horses not pleasing me."
PA