Noel Chance's fears over the tendon injury to Looks Like Trouble were confirmed yesterday.
The Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup winner is definitely out for the rest of the season after a preliminary scan has shown that there is a hole in the tendon.
But Chance is hopeful that Tim Collins's eight-year-old may return to action next season. "There is a hole in the tendon in the near foreleg. This has shown up after a preliminary scan," Chance said yesterday.
Looks Like Trouble turned in a brilliant display of jumping when running his rivals into the ground to win the James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase at Down Royal last Saturday.
But on Monday morning, Chance discovered that the gelding had swelling in his tendon. "The swelling has now gone down," added the trainer, "but that is normal."
Bookmakers report a good spread of money for several of the leading contenders ahead of Saturday's Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Newbury.
Coral-Eurobet have seen good money for Irish raider Foxchapel King and have cut his odds to 132 from 15-2 while the Nigel Twiston-Davies-trained Beau has been popular with William Hill and is 7-1 from 8-1.
With Ladbrokes, the one for money has been Alexander Banquet who is now 8-1 from 10-1.
Completing the set, Kingsmark is the Tote's clear market-leader at 7-2 from 9-2 with Lady Cricket also cut from 9-1 to 7-1.
Meanwhile, connections yesterday confirmed Direct Route on course for the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton on December 26th.
The nine-year-old was entered for the Grade One contest yesterday morning and will have a prep-race in the Mitsubishi Shogun Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown a week on Saturday.
Uttoxeter's meeting today will hinge on an inspection at 7.30a.m. if there is significant rain overnight. However, clerk of the course David McAllister reports that he is not expecting to have to look at the track if the forecast is correct.
He said yesterday: "There is going to be an inspection tomorrow if there is significant overnight rain. However, I must say that there is no rain forecast and I will cancel the inspection at 6.30a.m. if I find nothing in the rain gauge.
