The Grand National winning jockey Paul Carberry is in a comfortable condition in the intensive care unit of Cashel Hospital after suffering a ruptured spleen. Carberry, who missed out on riding his National winner, Bobbyjo, in the Whitbread Gold Cup after a fall earlier in the week, was rushed to hospital for an emergency operation after collapsing on Saturday morning.

Carberry had been hoping to ride at the Punchestown festival but now looks set to miss the rest of the jumps season.

A fine book of rides at the festival were headed by Cardinal Hill and Dorans Pride. Charlie Swan will take over from Carberry on Cardinal Hill in tomorrow's Country Pride Champion Novice Hurdle and a replacement for Dorans Pride in Wednesday's Heineken Gold Cup is likely to be announced today.

Sligo's meeting scheduled for this evening was abandoned after heavy rain fell on the track yesterday afternoon. A spokeswoman for the course said: "The meeting is off. We've had very heavy rain in the last hour and the course is waterlogged. We hope to reschedule the meeting."