IMPERIAL COMMANDER’S SEASONAL comeback has been put on hold by a leg injury.
Trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies played down the severity of a fracture in one of the 11-year-old’s hind legs but confirmed that he will not travel to Saturday’s Betfair Chase at Haydock as planned.
Imperial Commander has only raced three times since winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March 2010, and was last seen at the 2011 Festival when he disappointingly pulled up when bidding for back-to-back wins in the race.
He is now unlikely to return to action until the new year when the Argento Chase at Cheltenham’s January meeting will be the most obvious target.
“He’s suffered a small fracture of a splint bone in a hind leg unfortunately,” Twiston-Davies told Press Association.
“It’s nothing dramatic, but it means he won’t be in full work for around six weeks. We can still do swimming with him and things like that.
“It’s disappointing but these things happen.”
