Injured Banquet out of top chases

Alexander Banquet is set to miss both next month's Cheltenham Gold Cup and Aintree's Martell Grand National.

The Willie Mullins-trained chaser sustained a tendon injury when second to stablemate Florida Pearl in last month's Irish Hennessy Gold Cup.

"He's not 100 per cent and, although I am waiting on a veterinary report for the final say-so, it looks unlikely that we'll persevere with him this season," said Mullins. "A couple of fibres in a front-leg tendon are troubling him. All it needs is time to repair but, with the Gold Cup just 23 days away, we don't have it.

"We could probably get him back for Punchestown in May, but the ground will be too fast for him by then. So it makes sense to pull the plug on his season while he's at least 99 per cent and start again next year. The Gold Cup will again be his target - I've always thought he's that good."

The eight-year-old won the Weatherbys Champion Bumper for Mullins at the 1998 Festival.