Butterfly out for the season Like-A-Butterfly, winner of the Irish Champion Hurdle, is understood to be out for the season after suffering a setback. The highly-talented nine-year-old mare, owned by JP McManus and trained in Kildare by Christy Roche, was being prepared to go novice chasing following a successful hurdling career. 'My mare gave herself a bang on her off-fore tendon and she is out for the season,' Roche told the Racing Post. Like-A-Butterfly had schooled well over fences and was expected to make her mark as a chaser. She had been a 16-1 chance with Coral for the Royal & SunAlliance Chase. As well as taking the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown in January, she won the Gerard Supreme Novices´ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in 2002.
