Trainer Alan King has confirmed stable star Elgin will not feature this season after picking up an injury.
The six-year-old has not run since July when he finished last in a seven-runner field at Newmarket.
The gelding, who finished fifth in this year's Champion Hurdle, made a number of impressive performances last season, winning on three occasions.
Victories at Wincanton, Cheltenham and Catterick saw his stock rise but King admits he will have to wait until next season to get him back in action.
“He's out for the season. He got injured in the field and we had to fire him. He'll be off for the year,” King told At The Races. “It's a shame but we'll get him back.”
King is also waiting for stablemate Yanworth to return but he is confident the Grade One-winning hurdle could feature this year.
He added: “He had a problem after Cheltenham. We're hoping we might get him back for the second half of the season.”
