Waiting Patiently has been ruled out of his planned run at Ascot next week after chipping his ankle.
Ruth Jefferson's stable star finished a fine third in the Tingle Creek at Sandown on his reappearance last month and had been due to go for Grade One glory in the Clarence House Chase on January 18.
However, the nine-year-old was found to have sustained the injury after schooling on Thursday and is now set for a spell on the sidelines, with surgery planned in the coming days.
Jefferson said: "We found he had chipped an ankle after schooling this morning (Thursday).
"It will be operated on in the next few days and he will probably miss the rest of the season.
"It's very frustrating, particularly when it's one of the good ones, but it's just one of those things."
