Willie Mullins has confirmed both Faugheen and Min will miss the Cheltenham Festival with respective injury problems.
The County Carlow handler was hoping 2015 Champion Hurdle winner Faugheen would return to the festival after missing last year because of an injury picked up after winning the 2016 Irish Champion Hurdle.
His planned return at this year’s Irish Champion Hurdle was abandoned less than 24 hours before the race and Mullins has now revealed the injury he is carrying is worse than first feared.
He said: “We had hoped Faugheen had just tweaked a muscle but we’ve had it checked out and it’s a stress fracture.
“It’s a real shame with Faugheen, we needed everything to go right and obviously it hasn’t.
“There are options at Fairyhouse and Punchestown for Min, hopefully he makes one of them, while we’ll try to get Faugheen ready for Punchestown.”
Min will not feature at Cheltenham after being forced out of the Irish Arkle at the end of last month.
Mullins added: “Min has a bruise. Hopefully both will still make the track this season.”
