RACING: Paul Carberry will be reunited with Florida Pearl for the first time in almost 16 months in Wednesday's Queen Mother Champion Chase.
Trainer Willie Mullins confirmed the booking after yesterday's dramatic decision to run Florida Pearl at Cheltenham after all - but in the two-mile championship.
It will be a sixth run at the festival for the former SunAlliance and King George hero who will be trying to emulate the ill-fated One Man who dropped in distance to win the Champion Chase in 1998.
Florida Pearl has not run over two miles since winning the Festival Bumper in 1997 and the closest he has even come to the trip was when winning at 19 furlongs at Leopardstown over three years ago.
Carberry rode the horse on that occasion and seven times in all, winning four times.
"Not having run over the trip in so long has to be a concern but after discussing it with the owner we've decided to have a crack at it. He might be getting too old for it next year.
"I don't think speed will be a problem. I was pleased with the way he jumped the six fences down the back at Leopardstown when he worked there and he quickened away from the others.
"He is coming back into a bit of form but we feel he is not quite ready to go an extended trip yet," Mullins said.
Carberry rode Florida Pearl in 2000 when the partnership finished runner-up to Looks Like Trouble in the Gold Cup. Florida Pearl was third in the 1999 Gold Cup.
Carberry returns from an injury picked up at Thurles on Thursday when he rides the disappointing Louisville in the opener at Navan today.
For a horse that had the high-class Irresistible Jewel behind him on his flat maiden victory and was judged decent enough by Aidan O'Brien to run in the Derby, Louisville has been poor in his two starts to date over hurdles.
Last time out he struggled badly and ended up only 12th to Smugglers Song but he will rarely get an easier race to score in than this afternoon's four-year-old maiden.
The most valuable event on the Navan card is the €50,000 novice handicap final where The Premier Cat carries top weight in search of a hat-trick.
Tom Cahill's novice is a spectacular jumper and revels in the heavy going he will find today. Proven on the track, he will be get them all at it but in receipt of almost 2st Rio Diamond at the bottom of the handicap could just edge him out.
John Oliver was not an unexpected winner from Hit The Net and Mitchelstown last time out and should be able to follow up in the bumper.
Blame The Ref is 9lb higher for scoring at Thurles but with a 5lb claimer the Francis Flood horse looks a bet to follow up in the three-mile handicap hurdle.
Conditional jockey Paddy Aspell completed a 54 to 1 double at Ayr yesterday on Savannah Mo and Mister Chisum, who was having his first run for trianer Dick Allan.
