Meade’s stable star Road To Respect ruled out for the season with leg injury

Noel Meade will be without his stable star Road To Respect for the remainder of the season after the four-time Grade 1 and Cheltenham Festival-winning chaser was found to have a leg injury after finishing a gallant third in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown last month.

Road To Respect, who recorded back-to-back Ladbrokes Champion Chase wins at Down Royal in emphatic fashion at the beginning of the season, had been priced up at 5-1 to exact revenge over his Savills Chase conqueror Delta Work in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup.

However, the Gigginstown House Stud-owned Road To Respect will not be seen on a racecourse until next season with Meade hopeful of a full recovery.

Noel Meade: trainer of Road To RespectCredit: Patrick McCann

Meade said: “We were a bit worried about him after Leopardstown and we were hoping for the best but it just didn't work out and unfortunately he's out for the rest of the season with a leg injury. It's probably not too bad but it's enough to stop him for the rest of the season."

Meade, along with Willie Mullins, Eddie O’Leary and Philip Reynolds, have voiced concerns over the ground situation at Leopardstown and called for the track to avoid a recurrence of what happened at last year’s Dublin Racing Festival, when only four horses, including Road To Respect, ran in the Irish Gold Cup, because of unseasonably quick ground.

The Savills Chase, run on December 28, was contested on yielding ground, however, the following day's Neville Hotel Novice Chase attracted only three runners with four high-profile non-runners because of an official going description of good, which once again sparked debate over watering at the track.

Asked if Road To Respect's injury served as a reminder for Leopardstown to water before the Dublin Racing Festival, Meade responded: "Absolutely, for sure. It's hard to say exactly what causes an injury but it looks like that's [the ground] what caused it. He had the problem after he ran at Leopardstown."

Eddie O'Leary: 'Leopardstown has to start providing safe ground.'Credit: Sarah Farnsworth / Goffs UK

Eddie O'Leary weighed in behind his trainer, and added: "The Dublin Racing Festival is meant to be our showpiece event and a prep for Cheltenham but only two Cheltenham winners came out of the meeting last year and it banjaxed a lot of horses.

"The hurdles track is okay because it had watered for the Flat horses but the chase track isn't and it's far too quick. Leopardstown has to start providing safe ground.

"Gordon Elliott has entered a bunch of horses for Cheltenham Trials day and it's up to Leopardstown to convince him that they will have safe ground, otherwise he won't be there."

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