Galway Hurdle hero Aramon out for the season after suffering setback

Aramon's decisive victory in the Guinness Galway Hurdle will be his last act of the fledgling campaign after Willie Mullins revealed that the progressive Champion Hurdle contender has picked up an injury that will rule him out for the remainder of the season.

Although well held when fifth behind Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle, in his three most recent starts Aramon had finished second to his exciting stable-mate Saint Roi in the County Hurdle before impressing in the Grade 3 Grimes Hurdle at Tipperary when racing resumed from its shutdown in June.

The syndicate-owned seven-year-old then produced the most impressive weight-carrying performance in the Galway Hurdle for over 20 years when stamping his authority all over an incident packed affair. Under Mullins' amateur rider son Patrick, he swept clear in the straight under 11st 10lb off a massive rating of 155.

Also a Grade 1 winner as a novice, Aramon was a general 25-1 chance to go on to further glory in the Champion Hurdle next March.

"He has met with a setback after his run in Galway and he is out for the season unfortunately," Mullins revealed on Wednesday.

No Aramon but Willie Mullins still has Saint Roi as a Champion Hurdle contenderCredit: Edward Whitaker

"At least he won a fantastic prize in the process. He would have been entitled to go down the Champion Hurdle route next but we'll have to wait for another while now."

In Saint Roi, the perennial champion trainer has apparently unearthed another gem for the two-mile hurdle division. The JP McManus-owned five-year-old reappeared for the first time since his smooth County Hurdle success to run out an emphatic winner of the Horse & Jockey Hurdle at Tipperary last Sunday.

He is now a 10-1 shot to usurp McManus's reigning champion Epatante, the general 4-1 market leader to retain her crown.

Ultimate Daily - our daily newsletters from Racing Post's experts, exclusive to the inbox of Ultimate Members' Club subscribers. To receive the newsletter subscribe at racingpost.com/members-club