James Bowen has been fo rced to abandon hope of a first Cheltenham Festival winner next month after breaking his arm at Huntingdon on Thursday.
The 21-year-old jockey was taken to Peterborough Hospital for X-rays after being unseated from the Billy Aprahamian-saddled Mutual Respect at the second-last flight of the Bet At racingtv.com Handicap Hurdle at the Cambridgeshire course.
And Bowen, set for some promising mounts at the Festival for boss Nicky Henderson – he had been due to take five rides for Seven Barrows at Chepstow this afternoon – confirmed: “I’ve broken my arm – that’s about the height of it.
“There’s never a good time – with Cheltenham coming up, it’s even worse – but there’s no point in getting upset about it, that’s for sure.”
Bowen will meet with medical staff next week before setting a comeback date.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure yet when I’ll be back, to be honest,” he added. “I’m going to see a specialist on Monday and I will know more then and go from there.
“I’m young enough – hopefully there will be plenty more Cheltenhams to come.”
