RACING/News Round-up: Time has been called on Le Coudray's novice chase career before it even starts, and the JP McManus-owned star is out for the rest of the season.
The former top staying hurdler hasn't run in over two years but still remained a 14 to 1 shot with some firms for Cheltenham's SunAlliance Chase despite never having even started over fences.
However, Le Coudray's trainer, Christy Roche, said yesterday: "He has gone home and will not run this season. He has had a little joint trouble that we x-rayed and although he could have been back in a month, we thought what's the point.
"Knowing JP, he wouldn't want the horse running unless he was really right and rather than wait for Punchestown, we've decided to wait for next season." It completes a frustrating time for the Roche camp, who had hoped to give Le Coudray a first start in the Drinmore in early December and then declined to run him at Leopardstown over Christmas.
However, Youlneverwalkalone looks like filling the gap in the Moriarty Chase on Hennessy day next month and will continue his chasing career at Navan tomorrow despite a precautionary entry in the AIG Champion Hurdle on January 27th.
"Chasing is the game plan and the AIG entry was only there as a precaution," said Roche, who also reported that the unbeaten novice Like-A-Butterfly will return from a short break in the Deloitte & Touche Hurdle.
"She has been in great form since Christmas and like Yeoman's Point, she is on a little break at the moment," he added.
Roche's Stayers' Hurdle hope, Bannow Bay, looks set for another clash with Limestone Lad in Naas's Bank Of Ireland Hurdle at the end of the month despite the latter also holding an AIG entry.
"I will only consider the AIG if the weather breaks and we get really heavy ground. He would have no business running on the current ground against fast two -milers," said Limestone Lad's trainer Michael Bowe yesterday.
"The horse is in good form since the last day, although he did have a nasty over-reach on a front leg that meant we had to take it easy for a few days," he added.
Aidan O'Brien repeated yesterday his plan to avoid the AIG with the triple-champion Istabraq and said he has given no thought to how long the horse will remain among the entries for the big race.
"At the moment everything is fine with him," O'Brien reported.
•It was a case of Wincanton woe for Tony McCoy yesterday in his quest for the fastest 200 winners in a season as he was stood down after three losing rides.
McCoy said: "I'm a bit sore and it was getting stiffer and stiffer around the back of my neck where I got kicked yesterday at Newbury. We'll have to see how I feel in the morning before I decide whether I'm going to ride at Huntingdon."
