Horse Racing: Carberry May Miss Festival

Paul Carberry, whose book of rides at next week's Cheltenham Festival includes Aran Concerto, hot favourite for the Ballymore Properties Hurdle, will discover only on Sunday whether he will be fit to ride at the meeting after leaving hospital on Tuesday with a plaster cast on an injured foot.

Carberry, who often rides out with his local hunt within days of the Festival, suffered his injury at home last Saturday when a horse stood on his foot. He had hoped to be back riding at Thurles today, but will now wear a cast until Sunday.

"The doctors often do that with an injury like this just to make sure that he keeps it still," Ciaran O'Toole, Carberry's agent, said yesterday. "He's been advised to take plenty of rest until Sunday, when the doctors will take off the cast and have a look. We honestly don't know what the answer will be, we'll just be hoping that it's okay when they do."

Aran Concerto is currently a 2-1 chance, while Carberry's other possible rides next week include Sweet Wake, who was backed from 14-1 to 11-1 for the County Hurdle, the last race of the meeting, with Coral yesterday.

The former jockey Brian Reilly begins an 18-month disqualification period today, after his appeal was dismissed by the Horseracing Regulatory Authority. Reilly was found guilty on charges of corruption in December.