RACING:MICHAEL O'LEARY'S Cheltenham winner First Lieutenant could be in line to make his eagerly anticipated first start over fences at Gowran on Friday.
The Mouse Morris-trained star, a hugely exciting winner of last season’s Neptune Investment Novices Hurdle at the festival, has been left in the two and a half mile Inistioge Beginners Chase.
First Lieutenant, a winner on his sole point-to-point start, already tops the betting in ante-post lists for the 2012 Royal SunAlliance Chase at the Cheltenham festival.
He is one of a number of star names that may appear at Gowran over Friday and Saturday, with the two mile champion Sizing Europe set to line up in the Grade Two Pricewaterhouse Coopers Chase on Saturday.
Sizing Europe’s opposition may include the Ryanair Chase third Rubi Light as well as another star name in Forpadydeplasterer.
Rubi Light’s trainer Rob Hennessy reported his stable star in good form ahead of his return to action.
“It all depends on the ground. I’d like to see some rain. We’ll probably leave it until the last minute, but I would like him to go to Gowran as he’s a course and distance winner. If we’re not happy with the ground we’ll wait and could go to Punchestown 10 days later. He had a good four month break after Cheltenham and looks to have done well,” he said.
Andrew Lynch has ridden Rubi Light on his last three starts but Hennessy could be on the lookout for a different jockey this weekend, with Lynch likely to maintain his fruitful partnership with Sizing Europe.
