Gore steeplechaser Tai Ho's Grand National Carnival plans have been shelved after the horse sustained a minor injury in training.
The Ellis Winsloe-trained 9yr-old has been put aside for the rest of the jumping season after damaging a tendon when schooling over fences.
He had a lesion on the affected tendon, Winsloe said.
Though it was not considered a serious injury, it was in Tai Ho's best interests to scrap any plans of going to the Grand National and Great Northern Steeplechases.
''He knocked the back of his tendon schooling and has a bit of swelling there,'' Winsloe said.
''It was going to take him three weeks to get over it, so it has put us out of the Grand National and it was going to hold us up to go to the Great Northern.''
The runner-up in last year's Grand National Steeplechase has been eager to get back on the training track.
''He is bucking and carrying on in his paddock,'' Winsloe said.
''There is not a hole in the tendon: it is a lesion on the outside of it.''
While it is disappointing to miss this season's features, Tai Ho is relatively young in terms of steeplechasing and should have plenty of feature racing ahead of him.
Tai Ho's younger half-brother, Nomen Ludi, will attempt to bring home some of the spoils from the carnival for Winsloe and owner-breeder Allan Graham.
The 6yr-old is rated a $26 outside chance to win Saturday's group 3 $100,000 Winter Cup (1600m) at Riccarton.
Nomen Ludi boasts excellent form, with three wins and two third placings in his last five starts.
The cup will be his toughest test.
Nomen Ludi was third behind Lil Miss Swiss in the Amberley Cup over the same distance two starts ago, which gives Winsloe hope he could step up again.
''He is not really a 1600m horse. The further the better with him.
''He hasn't raced those really good horses before, but hopefully there is a bit of pace on and he can run home.''
Terry Moseley will ride Nomen Ludi, who has drawn barrier 6.
North Island raider Rosewood firmed in favouritism for the Winter Cup after drawing barrier 2. Lisa Allpress will take the mount.
