Mags Mullins hopes Martello Tower has escaped serious injury

Mags Mullins hopes Martello Tower has escaped serious injury after his fall in the Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan on Sunday.

The Barry Connell-owned six-year-old still held every chance in the Grade Two event when he came to grief at the second-last.

It was only the second defeat of his career but a tilt at the Grade One Navan Novice Hurdle is now up in the air.

Mullins said: "He is stiff and sore. I think everything is OK with him but he got a fair slap and we just walked him around this morning. For the first few days you are never quite sure, but at the moment the vets have looked at him and we are happy enough.

"He is a tough and unassuming horse and hopefully he will be OK. He has a couple of superficial cuts. We will know more in the next few days, but I think we are winning.

"He was running a great race up until then. He is an idler and it is only when you get after him that he starts to go. The other horse won fair and square and well done to them. You have to jump and unfortunately we didn't. Everyone walked away OK and thankfully Adrian (Heskin) was OK.

"I'll talk to Barry (Connell, owner) now as to where we will go. We will let him get over this before making a plan. What was the Sandra and Barry Kelly Hurdle at Navan (December 14) was the plan but I don't know if we will get there now. There is a hurdle in the first week of January that I was thinking about as well.

"Fingers crossed over the next few days that he keeps going the way he is going."