Injury to Presenting Percy proves less serious than at first feared

Presenting Percy could return to action next season after fears he'd suffered a leg fracture at Cheltenham thankfully proved unfounded.

The hugely popular horse started favourite for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham but was found to be lame after finishing only eighth behind Al Boum Photo.

Owner Philip Reynolds said on Sunday that much of the last week had been difficult awaiting results of an MRI scan on Presenting Percy's near-hind leg.

"I thought at one stage he was done for good but thankfully it's not as bad as that," Reynolds said.

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“He came home pretty lame and spent a week down in Gerry Kelly’s [veterinary surgeon] in Fethard. He had an MRI in the early part of the week and he has discovered that he has sclerosis in his near hind-leg. In layman’s terms it’s like a bit of bone bruising.

“At one stage we thought it might have been a fracture but thankfully it’s not that. The prognosis is he should recover with time and rest. Hopefully a summer break will be enough.

“We will take him back to Gerry towards the end of the summer and scan it again. Hopefully that will be as much as it is. In one sense it’s a relief. But waiting for the results, and whether it was worse or not, was a long week. If this is the extent of it we will be lucky,” he added.

Reynolds is unsure whether the Pat Kelly-trained star sustained the injury in the race or not.

“I don’t know where he got it, or whether he got a knock or kicked something. I’m running through videos here. I did see him lashing out in the parade ring because he nearly took the head off me.

“But someone said he did it again, either before or after, and he kicked something. But I can’t find it anywhere to see if he did or he didn’t.

“His injury is consistent with a bang somewhere. But whether it was in the race of before, I don’t know,” he said.

The Reynolds-Kelly team have big race ambitions again in Saturday week’s Aintree Grand National.

Mall Dini will try to emulate the 2016 National hero Rule The World and win his first ever race over fences in the world’s most famous steeplechase.

Mall Dini failed to win over fences for a 12th time at Limerick the day after Cheltenham but the 2016 festival winner is as low as 20-1 to win in Liverpool.

"He's going and Sean Flanagan will ride all being well. So far he's getting in off 10.4 or so it would be a nice race to break his maiden in." Reynolds said. "We're going, although I think everybody else is running for second behind Tiger Roll!"