Sharjah has been ruled out of the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham on March 15 after suffering a hip injury.
The Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old, second to Epatante and Honeysuckle in the past two runnings of the Tuesday feature, was Paddy Power’s 7-1 third favourite to go one better next month.
But Sharjah’s name was not among the 14 horses left in the Unibet-sponsored test - for which reigning champion Honeysuckle is now a best-priced 1-2 market leader - earlier today.
“Sharjah has a hip injury that is going to cause him a couple of months off,” Joe Chambers, racing manager to Sharjah’s owner Rich Ricci, said.
“He has pulled a muscle off a bone.
“It’s even more disappointing when you look at what is left in the Champion Hurdle.
“There’s a lot of prize money and you would think he would have been odds on to pick a good cheque that is not going to be available now.”
Sharjah matched the record set by Istabraq and Hurricane Fly when landing Leopardstown’s Grade Matheson Hurdle for the fourth time over Christmas, and Chambers added: “The prognosis is very good.
“We will reassess in a month’s time to see if Punchestown is a possibility, but our main aim is the ‘drive for five’ next Christmas.
“So we wouldn’t rush back for Punchestown if it meant a risk of it recurring - our main focus is Christmas 2022 as opposed to Punchestown 2022.”
Ricci’s Royale Pagaille will bid to book his place in the Cheltenham Gold Cup line-up in Saturday’s Grade 2 Denman Chase at Newbury.
The gelding picked up a foot injury when sixth to Minella Indo in the Festival feature last March.
“It’s a good chance to see where we are, and we’d go for the Gold Cup unless he tells us he really, really shouldn’t," Chambers added.
