Lenrey to take his chance at

Leopardstown / Irish news round-up: The Pierse Hurdle specialist Arthur Moore is planning a "one-off" return to the smaller …

Leopardstown / Irish news round-up:The Pierse Hurdle specialist Arthur Moore is planning a "one-off" return to the smaller obstacles for Lenrey in Sunday's Leopardstown feature and conceded yesterday that the high-class novice chaser is on a good weight for a race that the Naas trainer has dominated like no one else.

Moore has won the first major pot of the year no fewer than six times under its various guises and will be doubly represented in the €130,000 Pierse this weekend as Tiger Cry will also take his chance.

However, Lenrey was one of the eye-catching names among the 37 left in at yesterday's forfeit stage and the grey will get the chance to put the record straight with this two mile handicap hurdle.

He started an 8 to 1 co-favourite for the race last year but never got in a blow and finally finished eighth behind the winner Spring The Que.

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Two runs over fences this winter have yielded a pair of second placings including when only beaten a head by Sky's The Limit in the Grade One Durkan New Homes Chase at Leopardstown on St Stephen's Day.

"He's an intended runner on Sunday but it will be a one-off return to hurdles. He looks on a good weight and he will take his chance," Moore said yesterday.

"Tiger Cry is an intended runner too. Davy Russell will probably ride him and Philip Carberry will be on Lenrey."

Lenrey is currently rated 3lb lower than the mark he ran off in the Pierse last year and bookmaker reaction yesterday was to make him as low as 10 to 1 to make it number seven for his trainer.

The general 5 to 1 favourite remains Michael Halford's Do The Trick who will be ridden on Sunday by Paddy Flood as Paul Carberry is set to be claimed by Noel Meade who has four entries remaining in the race.

"The horse worked this morning and scoped clear afterwards so now we just have to keep him in one piece until Sunday," reported Halford.

"Noel has a number left in so Paddy Flood will ride."

Willie Mullins still has the option of running five horses and crucially the likely topweight Alexander Taipan remains in the race. Rated behind him is his stable companion Deutschland who has been raised 6lb by the handicapper after a controversial victory at Leopardstown over Christmas.

Just three British-based horses remain in the race which hasn't had a British winner since Master Tribe won for Jenny Pitman in 1997. Karl Burke has the option of running both Akarem and Kemon Strike while Co Louth-born Richard Fahey has left Dancing Lyra in the race.

Sunday's other handicap feature will be the Leopardstown Chase which has 19 possibles remaining in. They include the top rated pair of Mister Top Notch and The Railway Man as well as the smart novice Notable D'Estruval who also holds an entry in the Grade Two Paddy Fitzpatrick Memorial Novice Chase on the same card.

"He will run in one or the other," said Notable D'Estruval's trainer Arthur Moore.

"He was unlucky at Limerick on his last start when he was jumping almost too well and over-jumped."

A total of 15 other entries remain in the novice chase including Perce Rock who fell three from home in the Durkan New Homes over Christmas while the former top novice hurdler Glencove Marina also has the race as an option along with Call Bewleys.

The going at Leopardstown yesterday was officially reported to be "yielding" although conditions at the weekend are expected to be significantly softer due to a poor weather forecast.

In other news Tom Taaffe, who was in the saddle for four of Arthur Moore's Pierse Hurdle victories, reported yesterday that the Normans Grove Chase at Fairyhouse on Sunday week will be the return date for his 2005 Cheltenham Gold Cup hero Kicking King.

The Conor Clarkson-owned star hasn't raced since winning a second King George VI Chase at Sandown at the end of 2005 but after original plans to bring Kicking King back to action over hurdles were scrapped, he will now make his comeback from injury over fences.

Clarkson yesterday said that a return to Cheltenham in March for the Gold Cup is the ideal scenario for Kicking King but stressed that the horse wouldn't be risked if the Taaffe team feel he will be uncompetitive at the festival.

BETTING (Boylesports):5 Do The Trick, 11-2 Roman Villa, 7 Indian Pace, 10 Barker, Deutschland and Lenrey, 12 Jayo, 14 Bahrain Storm, Dark Bolero and Shazand, 16 Bar.

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor

Brian O'Connor is the racing correspondent of The Irish Times. He also writes the Tipping Point column