Patient waiting needed again as Waiting Patiently's season comes to early end

The stop-start career of Waiting Patiently has stopped again after the leading northern chaser was ruled out for the rest of the season in the same week connections entered him for two of the Cheltenham Festival's showpiece events.

An injury that is set to require surgery has forced trainer Ruth Jefferson to once again draw stumps with the 165-rated star, who had this week been given the option of running in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase and Ryanair Chase.

Waiting Patiently had posted an encouraging comeback when third in the Tingle CreekCredit: Alan Crowhurst (Getty Images)

Jefferson was also gearing up to send the 2018 Grade 1 Betfair Ascot Chase winner back to the royal racecourse for next Saturday's Matchbook Clarence House Chase.

That plan, however, has been abandoned, with frustration heightened because the nine-year-old had performed so pleasingly when third to Defi Du Seuil on his Sandown reappearance.

"He has a lovely sense of timing," said Jefferson on Friday.

"He ran so well in the Tingle Creek and we were looking forward to seeing what he would do at Ascot. Unfortunately, he has broken a small fragment of bone and it needs to come out, otherwise it will float about.

"We don't have multiple top-class horses, just this one, but he has always been fragile. People have criticised me for only running him three times in a season, but that's because we've always had to stop for something. It's disappointing he will only have had one run this season but he should be able to come back in as normal next season."

Waiting Patiently and Brian Hughes en route to beating Cue Card in the 2018 Ascot ChaseCredit: Mark Cranham

In Waiting Patiently's absence there are now only six horses left in the Clarence House, for which Altior has reemerged as a possible runner after a turbulent week for the quadruple Cheltenham Festival winner and his trainer Nicky Henderson.

Bookmakers are largely not yet quoting Altior in ante-post betting on the £150,000 feature, although William Hill make him a 5-2 shot behind the Tingle Creek Chase one-two, namely 5-6 favourite Defi Du Seuil and 15-8 shot Un De Sceaux.

Other horses can be supplemented by noon on Monday at a cost of £6,250.

Get ahead of the game with Get Your Eye In - exclusive Saturday preview content on racingpost.com and the Racing Post mobile app from 2pm on Friday