Florida Pearl is one of 10 possibles for the James Nicholson Wine Merchant Champion Chase at Down Royal on Saturday.

The gelding was a beaten favourite in the race last year behind Looks Like Trouble, Dorans Pride and Inis Cara but won it in 1999.

Dorans Pride, from the Michael Hourigan yard, is also among the possibles for the three-mile event.

Carberry will be attempting to win the race on Florida Pearl for the second time having been on board in 1999.

The only English entry is Ferdy Murphy's Hindiana.

The 10 possibles are: Davids Lad, Delphi Lodge, Dorans Pride, Florida Pearl, Foxchapel King, Hindiana, Monty's Pass, More Than A Stroll, Moscow Express and Wicked Crack.

Noel Chance was able to confirm yesterday that Looks Like Trouble is on course to make his eagerly-awaited reappearance at Wincanton in January - if he sparkles in canters later this week.

Chance, who plans to work the gelding on Friday, hopes the nine-year-old will run in the John Bull Chase on January 19th before a possible tilt at the Aon Chase at Newbury.

Looks Like Trouble won the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2000, beating Florida Pearl by five lengths.

He was favourite when winning at Down Royal last November on his only start last season.

The gelding was later found to have injured a near-fore tendon and has not been seen on the racecourse since.

The nine-year-old is currently quoted in some lists as 9 to 1 third favourite for the Gold Cup.

Irish raiders are strongly represented in a £50,000 hurdle at Cheltenham next week.

There were 37 entries yesterday for the Rehabilitation Of Racehorses Hurdle, run on the final day of The Open meeting on November 18th.

There are eight possible Irish runners - four of them from the yard of Noel Meade.

He could be represented by Listowel Festival scorer Blue and the versatile Moratorium, who followed up his success in a handicap hurdle at Naas in August by landing a valuable handicap on the Flat at the Curragh on September 15th. The other possibles are Miss Emer and Didifon.

Meade said: "I'm not sure at this stage which of my entries is likely to line up. We'll wait and see what the handicap looks like."

Two other interesting Irish entries are the Willie Mullins-trained duo Joe Cullen and Adamant Approach.

Joe Cullen was successful in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the 2000 Cheltenham Festival and showed he was on the way back with a promising run on the Flat at Navan in October.

Adamant Approach created a favourable impression when scoring in a maiden hurdle at Fairyhouse on October 5th.

Mullins said: "Both Joe Cullen and Adamant Approach are possibles. One of them will go to Cheltenham and the other for the Banville House Hotel Handicap Hotel at Down Royal on November 10th.

"I would say Joe Cullen is the more likely of the pair to run at Cheltenham. I was pleased with his run on the Flat at Navan. I am also very happy with Adamant Approach at the moment."