Limestone Lad will miss his intended engagement at Navan on Sunday but remains on course for the AIG Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.
James Bowe's prolific winner is suffering from a skin infection to a hind leg, and although he is still being ridden out, the infection will be given time to heal and he will miss Sunday's Proudstown Hurdle.
"It will probably clear up in a couple of days. It's disappointing because we wanted to run at Navan with the AIG in mind but now he will go straight to Leopardstown," Bowe's son Michael said yesterday.
Leopardstown is also on Tom Foley's mind for his returning star, Danoli, but if the Hennessy Gold Cup on February 6th comes too soon, he could wait and bring the former Hennessy winner back at Gowran on February 19th in a conditions race.
"So far everything has been good with him and he is sound. He is doing some nice cantering but the Hennessy is only a month away and to be honest if he is to run we will need all the gods working with us," Foley said yesterday.
"Gowran would give us an extra two weeks and there wouldn't be the same type of horse in it as there would be in the Hennessy," Foley said. "The Hennessy will be full of horses who are after three or four runs and are nearly ready for Cheltenham."
