18+ | T&Cs apply | Wagering and T&Cs apply | Play Responsibly | Advertising Disclosure

Dibea undergoes tests

Malcolm Jefferson is awaiting the results of tests on Dibea Times taken at the Animal Health Trust at Newmarket before making any further plans for the five-year-old.

The highly-rated Dibea Times - the winner of four of his five starts as a novice - reappeared in the Pertemps Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle in December, but after taking up the running on the bridle three out, he faded from the next and was beaten a 12 lengths into fourth behind Landing Light.

Just before Christmas he fell two out in the Stg£100,000 Ladbroke Handicap Hurdle at Ascot.

Jefferson said: 'He did not hurt himself in the fall.

'But there must be something wrong for him to have stopped like he did at Newcastle, it was just a question of how far he was going to win - and looking back, whatever it was, probably happened at Sandown (well beaten in the Sunderlands Imperial Cup) too.'

Jefferson went on: 'If I didn`t think he was a good horse, I wouldn`t have said he was a good horse -I have always thought he was a machine.

'I thought he could be better than Dato Star, but he has got to prove it yet and he might do, so hopefully we will get some answers from Newmarket and we can sort out the problem.'