Flagship Uberalles picked up an injury when winning his second consecutive Doubleprint Tingle Creek Trophy at Cheltenham on Saturday, it emerged today.
The Noel Chance-trained six-year-old landed the two-mile contest in great style by 11 lengths from Fadalko.
Flagship Uberalles now faces a step up to three miles in the Pertemps King George VI Chase at Kempton Park on Boxing Day.
'He suffered a nasty overreach yesterday,' Chance said. 'It`s nothing career or life threatening but it`s nasty. He`s sore this morning.
'I would say he`d be OK in a few days.
'Hopefully he`ll suffer no ill effects and it shouldn`t hinder his preparation for the King George too much. It`s something that happens to jumpers - I`d love to be a Flat trainer!'
Flagship Uberalles was having his first race for Chance on Saturday and the Lambourn trainer added: 'I was delighted with him. It was great to see him win a Grade One race so convincingly.
'It was a revelation. It was his best run since he won the Arkle.'
Flagship Uberalles lost his form towards the end of last season and Chance said: 'He`s a very enthusiastic horse on good ground or softer - that is the secret.'
After Kempton the gelding will be aimed at the Mitsubishi Shogun Game Spirit Chase at Newbury on February 10th and then the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
However, Chance is concerned about the lack of opportunities for the top two-mile chasers in the middle of the season.
He said: 'Unfortunately we don`t have a two-mile championship race around Christmas. It would be an ideal time. If there was one it would fill for sure.
'There`s only the Castleford at Wetherby and he`d have to give weight away if he went there.
'The three-mile brigade are well catered for with the Down Royal race, the King George, Ericsson in Ireland, the Pillar and AON Chase on the run-up to the Festival.
'With the two-milers there`s a gap between yesterday and the Game Spirit.
'Flagship Uberalles appears to have been around for ages but he`s only six and I won`t be subjecting him to hard races like giving lumps of weight in the Victor Chandler. I`d rather not run him than ask him to do that.'
