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County Hurdle favourite Campeador sidelined

Gordon ElliottGordon Elliott
© Healy Racing Photos

Campeador, ante-post favourite with some bookmakers for the County Hurdle at next month's Cheltenham Festival, is likely to miss the rest of the season due to injury.

The Gordon Elliott-trained five-year-old looked in with a major chance of victory in the Fred Winter Juvenile Hurdle at Prestbury Park last March until he crashed out at the final flight.

He made his seasonal reappearance in a valuable event at Fairyhouse in early December and appeared set to make a winning return until he again came to grief at the last hurdle.

The grey is as short as 8-1 for the County Hurdle, but Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus, told the Irish Independent: " He won't be going over and the next time he'll race will likely be in the summer or autumn.

"He didn't get badly injured at Fairyhouse or anything like that but it was a horrible fall and these things take time to get over.

"At least he's still in one piece."