RACING: Limestone Lad's Cheltenham preparation was thrown into turmoil yesterday when the popular stayer started coughing.

The James Bowe-owned and trained star was supposed to have his final warm-up for the Stayers' Hurdle in Sunday's McCabe Builders Boyne Hurdle at Navan.

Limestone Lad will certainly miss that contest and race fans throughout Ireland will be hopeful that it will be the only event he misses.

The Bowe family face an anxious wait to see how quickly the horse recovers in an otherwise smooth preparation.

Bowe's son, Michael, said yesterday: "We were doing a piece of work and I was just hacking him up when he started coughing. I stopped immediately. He is on treatment and as a consequence he won't be going to Navan. The vet says I should have him back in two weeks. I'm just hoping Navan is not the only thing I have to sacrifice."

Bowe added: "It could have happened at a better time but there is a bug going around and I couldn't escape it forever. I just wish it had happened at a different time."

Limestone Lad's stable companion, the SunAlliance Hurdle hope Solerina, hasn't coughed and is described as "fine". Bowe said: "I've got to keep Limestone Lad isolated away from her but if it is in the air it is very contagious. That's the worrying thing."

Limestone Lad is the main rival to the French-trained Baracouda in the ante-post market for Cheltenham.