JOCKEY COSTELLO TO MISS CHELTENHAM AFTER BREAKING LEG ON EVE OF FESTIVAL

Agony: Costello will miss Festival after breaking his leg. He was set to ride Midnight Chase in the Gold Cup

Dougie Costello, who was due to ride the improving Midnight Chase in the Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Friday, is expected to miss the entire Festival meeting after suffering a suspected double fracture of his leg in a fall at Stratford on Mondayon Monday.

Costello was riding Veiled Applause in a handicap hurdle when his mount fell at the third-last. He was taken to Warwick Hospital for treatment and initial reports suggested that he faces a long spell on the sidelines.

"The only bad thing about this day each year is that there's a chance that a jockey is going to have a fall and miss out on the Festival and, sadly, it doesn't look good for Dougie," Stephen Lambert, Stratford's clerk of the course, said. "I'd hoped when we got through the two chases without any injuries that we would be all right. He reckoned that he had two separate fractures and he went off to hospital in Warwick straight away."

Costello, who has yet to ride a winner at the Festival, was also booked to partner the well-fancied Recession Proof, the winner of the totesport Gold Trophy at Newbury last month, in the opening race of the meeting, the Supreme Novice Hurdle. His other booked rides at the meeting included Wayward Prince in the RSA Chase on Wednesday, and Premier Sagas in the Centenary Novice Chase on Tuesday.

"They are fairly sure he has suffered at least one serious fracture to a part of his leg, if not two," John Quinn, the trainer of both Veiled Applause and Recession Proof, said. "It's terrible news. I won't decide who will ride Recession Proof until the morning."

Neil Mulholland, the trainer of Midnight Chase, will also consider his options before deciding on a replacement jockey. "It's a long time between now and Friday and it's something that has to be very carefully thought about," Mulholland said.

"The horse is perfect, thank God. Dougie came down and schooled him and we were all very happy with him, but I'm gutted for Dougie."

The race in which Costello sustained his injury was won by Tony McCoy on Remember Now, taking the jockey to 199 for the season. The horse is a half-brother to Binocular, who would have carried McCoy in today's Champion Hurdle but for a failed drug test at the end of last week. It was McCoy's only ride of the day.