Aidan O'Brien's Cheltenham hope, Give It Holly, was put down after breaking a leg on the Ballydoyle gallops yesterday.

A winner at Leopardstown over Christmas on his second start, Give It Holly had been among the market leaders for next Wednesday's Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

"He was working with Istabraq and Le Coudray when it happened. He didn't seem to take a funny step or anything, it's just a terribly unfortunate accident," O'Brien said.

Happier news from O'Brien yesterday was that Istabraq and Le Coudray continue to impress in their preparations for the Champion Hurdle and the Stayers' Hurdle respectively.

O'Brien's Cheltenham team will also include Theatreworld in the Champion Hurdle and Darapour, whose likely target is the Coral Cup.

Klairon Davis will not take his chance at a repeat win in the Champion Chase after he was found to be suffering from an irregular heartbeat following a gallop yesterday morning.

Other injury news is that Slaney Native fractured a pelvis cantering yesterday and is out of his engagements in the Coral Cup and the County Hurdle.

"It's bad luck at this stage but we hope he will recover sufficiently to go novice chasing next season," said his trainer, Jessica Harrington. Noel Meade could have as many as 13 of his string travelling to Cheltenham next week, headed by his Citroen Supreme Novices' Hurdle hope, Cardinal Hill, who put in a sparkling piece of work at Leopardstown racecourse on Monday.

"I was thrilled with the work and how he did it," Meade said yesterday.

Cardinal Hill was ridden by Paul Carberry, who had earlier that day jumped his Gold Cup mount, Dorans Pride, over some hurdles at Michael Hourigan's yard.