RACING: Florida Pearl could miss out on his usual Cheltenham warm-up in the Hennessy Gold Cup in favour of a race at Ascot six days later.
The Ritz Club Chase over two and a half miles has been nominated by trainer Willie Mullins as a viable alternative if the ground at Leopardstown on February 9th is very testing.
"The chance of better ground and the two-and-a-half-mile trip makes it a possibility. The ground in the Hennessy can turn out to be very heavy," Mullins said yesterday.
That was certainly the case last year when Florida Pearl's run of Hennessy success was brought to a halt behind stable companion Alexander Banquet.
Florida Pearl struggled home in fourth and that brought an end to his three-year winning streak in the race.
However, Mullins added: "We are still very much looking at the Hennessy if conditions are suitable and then the Gold Cup. The horse is in good form and if we can get a month's run at it without injury then he'll be grand."
The Co Carlow-based trainer also said it could be April before a final test result for morphine on his Hennessy winner, Be My Royal, will be revealed by the Jockey Club in Britain.
"I have heard nothing but they have said it could take months," he said.
Limestone Lad features among the 22 entries for Saturday's Proudstown Handicap Hurdle and the Navan authorities are confident the hurdles track at least will be fit for racing.
There is grave concern over the chase course but already a contingency plan is in place to run off a seven-race hurdles programme if the steeplechases are cancelled.
The Navan manager Richard Lyttle said yesterday: "There is some concern over the chases, especially with frost forecast for Thursday and Friday.
"But the hurdles course is fresh ground and we are quietly confident, with all the entries, we can race with a full card. We've walked it twice today and will continue to keep an eye on things."
The field for Sunday's Pierse Hurdle faces a 10lb hike in the weights if the current topweight Glens Music remains in the race. If he is taken out on Friday, they will rise by 13lbs. Joint third topweight is the English raider Whistling Dixie who already has a big Irish pot under his belt having won at Down Royal in 2001.
Trainer Mary Reveley said: "It's a race I want to win. Penny A Day was third to Master Tribe in 1997 when it was known as the Ladbroke."
Foxchapel King tops the weights in the Leopardstown Chase with Rince Ri just 1lb below following his disappointing run in the Ericsson over Christmas.
Rince Ri's trainer Ted Walsh has revealed he would ideally like to get a couple of runs into Commanche Court ahead of a Gold Cup bid, possibly starting with a run over hurdles at Naas in 17 days.
Today's scheduled Punchestown fixture bit the dust yesterday morning when an inspection found the ground to be frozen.
