RACING/News: Limestone Lad appears to be over the coughing scare that threatened his appearance at the Cheltenham Festival.
The James Bowe-owned and trained star resumed cantering on Monday and will have a vital work out at the weekend to see if his recovery is complete.
A relieved Michael Bowe was wary of counting any chickens yesterday but Limestone Lad's tilt at the Stayers' Hurdle appears to be back on track.
"He has improved big time. Whatever sort of bug he had must not have liked his system because it looks to have left as soon as it entered," Bowe said.
"He was a sick horse last week and he kept me awake most nights with the coughing.
"But he was brighter Monday and I hacked him uphill and afterwards he was clean.
"He's had two nice canters up the hill this morning and he's as clean as a whistle. God forbid he'll cough again or else we'll be back to square one. But I'll work him at the weekend before the day at Leopardstown and that will tell me a lot," he added.
Leopardstown's traditional post-race work-outs for the principal Cheltenham hopes on Sunday week is a deadline set by Bowe when the horse first coughed last week.
"I didn't expect it to clear up this quickly. The vet told me it would take its course but what helped was the cold, dry and frosty weather we've had. He's been out every day and it seemed to blow the germs away," Bowe said.
He also reported that Solerina has managed to escape the cough and remains on track for the SunAlliance Hurdle.
That leaves Florida Coast to take his chance in Sunday's Johnstown Novice Hurdle at Naas.
"We've decided to give Florida Coast his chance because Naas wouldn't have been much benefit for Solerina as far as Cheltenham is concerned.
"She's fit and well and the only thing now is to keep her sweet," he added.
There was less happy news at the Christy Roche stable where Limestone Lad's old rival Bannow Bay was put down at the weekend after an illness picked up while recovering from a bone-chip operation. Last season's Stayers' Hurdle runner-up won nine of 19 starts.
Baracouda is 2 to 1 favourite with Ladbrokes to retain the Stayers' Hurdle ahead of Limestone Lad at 5 to 2 and Classified at 7 to 1.
Limerick today hosts an important Cheltenham trial where the Supreme Novices Hurdle favourite, Back In Front, has his final warm-up in the two and a half mile novice race.
The trip and the forecast "soft" going are not ideal for the Festival Bumper third but he should follow up a Leopardstown success last month.
With Rhinestone Cowboy looking likely to go for the Champion Hurdle, Back In Front is a 4 to 1 favourite for the novice race with Cashmans and it should be an unchanged situation after today.
Apart from that the quality of the racing is ordinary enough but it should be interesting to see how Kadoun goes in the Beginners' Chase over two and three quarter miles.
Two miles at Naas was clearly too short and two and a half at Down Royal last time was probably the same.
The track will not be ideal for the former good staying hurdler but the going should be.
