Gordon Elliott has been dealt a huge blow with the news that Sam Ewing has been ruled out for the season with a broken arm.
The 18-year-old suffered the injury after falling off Poppy Rose in a mares' handicap hurdle at Musselburgh last Friday.
Ewing was seen entering an ambulance with his arm in a sling, and the Antrim youngster has since undergone surgery to repair the injury.
“Unfortunately I broke my arm. I have had surgery and hopefully should be on the mend now,” said Ewing.
The news comes as another blow to Elliott whose main rider, Jack Kennedy, has been injured for a sustained period of time after breaking his leg at Naas back in January.
Kennedy missed this month's Cheltenham Festival and remains sidelined with no return date in sight.
Davy Russell stepped into the breach after Kennedy went down just 18 days after the 43-year-old had announced his retirement.
Russell was Elliott's main jockey for the Cheltenham Festival, but had to stood down on the final day of action as a result of an injury.
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