Kennedy facing long spell on the sidelines with fractured leg

Jack Kennedy is facing up to four months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a fractured leg on Thursday.

The 18-year-old, who has made a huge impression in the past two years, was injured in a last-fence fall from Bobbie's Diamond in a novice chase at Punchestown on Wednesday.

Speaking on Thursday, the Turf Club's chief medical officer Dr Adrian McGoldrick said: "Jack fractured his left femur and had surgery this afternoon.

"It's a straightforward injury but he's going to be out of action for three to four months."

Kennedy's latest injury is the third leg break he has suffered since September, when he fractured his left fibula in a fall at Downpatrick. On his first ride back at Thurles in October he suffered a similar injury to the same leg.

He rode his first Cheltenham Festival winner in March when landing the Supreme Novices' Hurdle on Labaik. Champion conditional rider in Ireland in the 2015-2016 season, Kennedy finished runner-up to Ruby Walsh last term with 68 winners.

McGoldrick also confirmed that Mark Enright will be out of action for approximately four weeks after suffering a fractured metatarsal bone in a fall at Killarney on Sunday.