Noland Out For Season

Last season's Supreme Novices' Hurdle hero Noland has been ruled out for the season after meeting with a setback.

The Paul Nicholls-trained five-year-old landed a high-profile four-timer last season that culminated in a thrilling neck victory over Straw Bear at the Cheltenham Festival.

Following those exploits, Noland found himself at the head of the ante-post market for next year's Arkle at Prestbury Park.

However, connections have now elected to miss the entire campaign after hearing of the injury but hope their charge will return fighting fit to embark upon a chasing career next season.

Explaining the problem yesterday, Nicholls told the Racing Post: 'My head groom Clifford Baker said last night (Tuesday) that he wasn't happy with Noland's off-fore leg after finding heat in it, so we had it scanned this morning and the scan confirmed there was a problem.

'We discussed things with John Hales and my vet Brian Eagles, and we decided not to risk him this season.

'He's such a good horse and the sensible thing now is to draw stumps and then get him right for the start of next season to go novice chasing.

'The horse has to come first and, funnily enough, we once had the same scenario with See More Business.

'We found heat in one of his legs after he won the Winter Hurdle at Sandown, so we put him away for the season and then never had a problem again. You've got to be patient with good horses.'

(C) PA Sport