The Down Royal executive insist they are confident about their most valuable meeting of the year going ahead but there is still a 10.00 inspection planned for the track this morning.

That is not ideal news for Noel Chance, who has arranged to fly his Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Looks Like Trouble, to Dublin tomorrow ahead of the big northern fixture which is set to start on Friday.

A section of the hurdles course was underwater yesterday but the Down Royal manager Michael Todd said: "I am confident we can go ahead with the present drying winds."

The fixture scheduled for Clonmel tomorrow has not surprisingly been abandoned 48 hours in advance, but at the other end of the country Todd added: "Our chase course is in good shape and there are no problems there. However, part of the River Lagan has overflowed and the hurdles course has been affected for a distance of 50 yards."

Saturday's highlight, the £110,000 James Nicholson Chase, is set to see another clash between Looks Like Trouble and the Gold Cup runner-up Florida Pearl, a clash that Noel Chance renewed his commitment to yesterday.

"Looks Like Trouble will fly from East Midlands airport to Dublin on Thursday. This takes away all the uncertainty. I'm making an effort to get to Down Royal because it's a major prize and there's also a £50,000 bonus linked to the Cheltenham Gold Cup. There's also no other suitable race for him at this particular time," Chance said.

Meanwhile, rain and more rain continues to decimate racing action in Britain, with Newbury the only meeting left to fly the flag today. However, prospects are bright for tomorrow's three meetings.