REDDITCH trainer Ian Williams has been dealt a blow with the news that Ballyalton will miss the season through injury.

The nine-year-old secured a notable success for the yard, which is based in Portway, at the Cheltenham Festival in March when landing the Close Brothers handicap chase on the opening day.

Ballyalton had previously showed his class at the same venue when chasing home Faugheen in the Neptune Novices' Hurdle in 2014.

However, the bay gelding, who is owned by the dad of golfer Lee Westwood, has had injuries in the past and has now suffered a set-back that will keep him out for another long spell just as the jumps season begins to gather pace.

Williams said: "Ballyalton gave me, my staff, my family and my owners, especially John and Lee Westwood, the most emotional and amazing day in March when winning at the Festival.

"However, his career has repeatedly been interrupted by injuries and setbacks, so it has been a case of having to be patient.

"When he disappointed in the Grade One at Aintree in April, it transpired there was a reason for that, and sadly, the knock he sustained has not recovered sufficiently for him to race this season.

"However, as he proved in March, Ballyalton is a special horse, and having twice come back in his career from setbacks, who's to say that he won't emulate the legendary Muhammad Ali and come back for a third time in 2017."