Chantry House suffers neck injury in Rowland Meyrick at Wetherby

Chantry House faces an indefinite spell on the sidelines after one of Britain's highest-rated staying chasers sustained an injury at Wetherby on Monday.

The JP McManus-owned eight-year-old was beaten but vying for a place when crumpling on landing under Robbie Dunne at the third-last fence of the Rowland Meyrick Chase.

Nicky Henderson, who has trained Chantry House to win the Marsh Novices' Chase and Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham, said: "He has a little non-displaced fracture in the wing of one vertebra in his neck. It sounds horrible but the vets are optimistic that he'll make a full recovery.

"There is nothing that can be done apart from box rest, although at this stage I don't know how long that will take. It's sad because he's a very good horse."

Chantry House exercises at home under Dave FehilyCredit: Edward Whitaker

Henderson had better Boxing Day luck with Constitution Hill at Kempton and also at Wincanton, where he gave the King his first jumps winner as monarch when Steal A March landed a Pertemps Series qualifier under James Bowen.

"It gave us a lot of pleasure," said Henderson, who intends to give the royal hurdler his next start at the Cheltenham Festival.

He added: "I spoke to the Queen Consort this morning. It was great and it is nice to get going. Hopefully she will be able to come to Cheltenham."

'That is nothing like him' - Skelton mystified by Shan Blue's poor reappearance

Dan Skelton remained mystified on Tuesday by how poorly Shan Blue ran on his return at Wetherby but is convinced something will come to light to explain it.

The eight-year-old started 5-2 favourite for the Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase on his first visit to the track since falling heavily with the Charlie Hall Chase at his mercy there in 2021.

However, the market leader lost his place and dropped to the rear of the 11-runner field at halfway on Monday and was pulled up before the 11th of the 19 fences by Sean Quinlan, who told the stewards his mount was never travelling.

Shan Blue is led back to the stables after his fall in the Charlie Hall Chase in 2021Credit: Edward Whitaker

Shan Blue is back at Skelton's yard in Warwickshire, where his trainer has checked him over in search of a physical explanation for his run and said on Tuesday: "I can't find anything yet but I'm going to keep looking. Something will come to light, that is obviously nothing like him at all.

"But that's horses, they're not machines. We'll have a good, thorough investigation. He's home and he's eaten all his food but I'm going to have our vet have a good check through him and see if there's anything going on."

Stablemate Ballygrifincottage is set to run in next month's Grade 2 Hampton Novices' Chase at Warwick after being forced to miss Tuesday's Kauto Star at Kempton.

"He had a slightly dirty nose," Skelton said. "It's nothing major and we'll probably leave him until Warwick on January 14."

Ballygrifincottage, who finished fourth in the Albert Bartlett Novices' Hurdle last season, is a best-priced 16-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices' Chase at Cheltenham, having scored impressively on his chasing debut at Haydock last month.

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