Ireland's "dark horse" contender for the Smurfit Champion Hurdle, Feathard Lady, will dip her toe into Grade One company for the first time at Sandown on St Stephen's Day and could have the assistance of the champion jockey Ruby Walsh when doing so.
Walsh is currently on the sidelines recovering from a dislocated shoulder but is confident that an appointment next week with his doctor will give him the all clear to resume over the Christmas period.
That would also be good news for the Co Wexford trainer Colm Murphy who plans to run both his Champion Hurdle contenders over the holidays. Brave Inca remains on course for the bewleyshotels.com December Festival Hurdle on the last day of Leopardstown but Feathard Lady will be in action before then in her first start outside of this country when she contests the Christmas Hurdle.
Unbeaten in six starts to date, Feathard Lady is already as low as 14 to 1 with some firms for the championship but Murphy expects that a clash with the likes of Lingo and the best of Britain's hurdlers will be her biggest test to date.
"It's a big ask," Murphy said yesterday. "It will be her first Grade One and we don't know if she is Grade One material yet. Having said that I don't think we are being premature in putting her in a race like this and it will tell us a lot about what to do for the rest of the season. I think Ruby will ride her and it would be nice if he was available for the rest of the season too."
Walsh has ridden Feathard Lady once already when she was an impressive winner at Down Royal last month but Paul Carberry was in the plate when she followed up with a handicap victory under topweight at Fairyhouse less than a fortnight ago.
Murphy also had an upbeat report on Brave Inca who has emerged in good shape from his third placing behind Solerina in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle. "He has come out of it real well. In fact he didn't take too much out of himself at all," the trainer said.
Brave Inca remains a general 7 to 1 shot for Cheltenham as he tries to improve on his third to Hardy Eustace and Harchibald last March.
However, the Bewleys race is also a likely stopping point for the current Champion Hurdle favourite Harchibald as well as last year's winner Macs Joy. The 2003 winner, Golden Cross, also remains a possible for another crack at the two-mile event. Michael Halford's horse was a 66 to 1 winner two years ago, a record SP for a Grade One winner in Ireland.
Willie Mullins is biding his time about future plans for the star novice chaser Missed That who got off the mark over fences on his second start last weekend.
"He is in both Grade One chases at Leopardstown over Christmas and he is also in the Grade Two at Limerick. There is no definite plan about where he goes next because I want to see how the entries pan out. We will play it by ear," Mullins said.
Another former Cheltenham festival winner with both Grade One options in front of him at Leopardstown is Back In Front whose disappointing effort in the Hatton's Grace Hurdle could mean a switch to the bigger obstacles over Christmas.
