RICHARD DUNWOODY yesterday picked up the rides on Viking Flagship and Mulligan at Cheltenham as a disconsolate Adrian Maguire learned that he will not only miss the Festival but the rest of the season as well.
Dunwoody, himself recovering from injury, will partner two of David Nicholson's prime Festivals candidates as well as one of the trainer's three Champion Hurdle entrants, Sanmartino, Relkeel or Castle Sweep.
The former champion was booked for the mounts as Maguire, who broke his right arm at Leicester on Tuesday, was back in hospital complaining of excruciating pain from the injury.
Maguire, who was discharged from the Leicester Royal Infirmary on Tuesday night, was admitted to the Princess Margaret Hospital in Swindon where, under the care of orthopaedic consultant Michael Foy, his arm was replastered.
He will remain in hospital where he was joined yesterday by wife Sabrina and baby daughter Shannon, until today at the earliest, but will be advised to rule out any ambitions to return to the saddle this term.
Foy said: "Adrian is in a lot of pain. He has a nasty fracture of the humerus. He's very upset about it all.
"He will be off for between six and 12 weeks and I will advise him not to ride again this season. He needs to give the break time to heal."
The luckless Maguire was ruled out of the Festival for the third year running when he was kicked as he lay on the ground following a heavy fall from the newcomer Foxwoods Valley in a novices' chase.
The blow was delivered just, three days after he hit prime form with a magnificent five timer at Kempton on Saturday. It was initially feared that the Irishman would have to undergo surgery to repair the fracture.
But Foy added: "The plan is not to operate but I've not totally ruled out surgery. There is a good alignment on the fracture and conservative treatment seems the best course of action.
"But if it is slow to heal and the alignment changes, then surgery will become an option. However an operation does carry a small risk of causing damage to one of the nerves which runs down the arm a may result in permanent disability. Adrian is effectively out for the season. There is no way whatever we do that he can be got back, but obviously he is very fed up."
Maguire who missed last year's Festival because of a broken collarbone and the 1995 meetings following the death of his mother Phyllis, was the early favourite to finish the fixture's leading jockey.
His boss David Nicholson was preparing a team of as many as 23, "not just the best team that we've ever sent, but the best team anyone's ever set", he claimed yesterday.
But he has quickly secured Dunwoody's services for his best known challengers as well as Certainly Strong in the Grand Annual.
Dunwoody sustained a hairline fracture of the sternum following a fall at Kempton on Saturday but is confident of being fit in time for the Festival.
"He's very hopeful of riding and is planning to come back a week on Friday," said his agent Robert Parsons.
. Trainer Paul Webber joined forces with Yorkshire born jockey Jamie Osborne to seal a 230-1 treble at Wetherby yesterday. They struck with Carlito Brigante, Credo Is King and Fantasy Island.
