Connections of Tremallt are struggling to get the horse fit in time for the Cheltenham Festival, which gets under way on Tuesday week.
Tom George's promising nine-year-old was due to run in last Saturday's Racing Post Chase before contesting the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup on the first day of the Festival.
But he was forced to miss Kempton after suffering slight stone bruising in the build-up to the race which has also put his Cheltenham run in doubt.
"We are having a bit of a battle to get him ready in time for the Kim Muir and everything is slightly up in the air," George revealed today.
"The horse is fine. He's come sound but he missed some work and I won't run him unless I'm 100 per cent happy with him. So if he doesn't run it's because he isn't fit enough to do himself justice - you need to be 105 per cent fit there.
"Under normal circumstances at this stage you would swim a horse but I'm afraid Tremallt can't swim - he's a bad swimmer."
George, who has booked leading Irish amateur Tony Martin for Cheltenham, added: "Tony is keen to ride him but we'll just have to wait and see how the horse is.
"If I'm going to get him there he'd have to have a racecourse gallop somewhere next week."
