ADRIAN MAGUIRE will miss the Cheltenham Festival for the third consecutive year after breaking his arm in a fall at Leicester yesterday. He was kicked on the ground after taking a heavy fall from Foxwoods Valley, trained by his boss David Nicholson, at the second fence of the Rutland Water Novices' Chase won by Master Toby.
The jockey was immediately picked up by the course ambulance and taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary for X-rays. His wife Sabrina later confirmed the extent of his injuries.
"Adrian's arm is broken," she said. "He has broken his humerus, the bone between his shoulder and elbow. It is a clean break but he is in a lot of pain."
Earlier, hopes were raised that Maguire would be fit to ride at the Festival when a hospital spokeswoman announced his injuries were not serious and he would be discharged from hospital later.
But by 7.30 p.m., when the hospital officially announced the 25-year-old had been discharged, it became apparent that his injury was sufficiently bad to rule him out of National Hunt racing's showpiece meeting.
Maguire was due to partner Barton Bank, Relkeel, Viking Flagship and Mulligan, among others, for the Nicholson stable in their respective Festival races.
