Gordon Elliott has been pressured to rule his star staying chaser Gerri Colombe out for the remainder of the season.
Final yr’s Cheltenham Gold Cup runner-up and Aintree Bowl winner has not been seen since disappointing on his reappearance at Down Royal in early November, when he completed solely third behind Envoi Allen in his bid for back-to-back victories within the Ladbrokes Champion Chase.
Since then he has missed a number of potential engagements, with Elliott stating he was not 100 per cent pleased with the nine-year-old however that he hoped he would have him again at live performance pitch for the foremost festivals within the spring.
Nonetheless, these hopes have been dashed after the Robcour-owned gelding suffered a setback which suggests he won’t return till the autumn on the earliest.
In an announcement posted on his web site, Elliott stated: “Sadly Gerri Colombe has met with a setback which suggests he won’t run once more this season.
“It isn’t profession ending or particularly severe nevertheless it’s come on the improper time of the season so we will need to rule him out of the spring festivals.
“It’s a big blow for ourselves and the Robcour team but we will concentrate on getting him right for next season when hopefully all roads will lead back to the Gold Cup.”
