Horse Racing: Florida Pearl will make a later than usual start to the jumps season with Willie Mullins aiming to start the star chaser at Leopardstown over Christmas.

For the previous four years, Florida Pearl has kicked off his campaign in Down Royal's James Nicholson Chase but the triple-Hennessy winner will not be ready for that or the John Durkan Chase at Punchestown in early December.

"We are aiming for Christmas where the target will be Leopardstown rather than the King George. He will not be running in the Durkan. He is just not going to be right," Mullins said yesterday.

The former champion trainer has to finalise plans for Davenport Milenium who missed out on last year's Champion Hurdle through injury.

"He is back riding out but we haven't fully decided if he will stay over hurdles or go over fences. I will have to talk to the owner (Noel O'Callaghan) but I would prefer to stick with hurdles for the moment," Mullins said.

Horse Racing Ireland yesterday announced the first allocation of €3.5 million in Capital Development Fund grants to racecourses.

Changes that will completed to Galway over the winter include a new entrance and administrative building to replace the existing weigh room. The building will have a new jockeys' room, a lady jockeys' room and a physiotherapy room.

The latest phase in the development of Naas will happen in time for the winter season and track widening will take place at Cork, Fairyhouse, Limerick, Navan and Punchestown.

This will be 100 per cent funded and will enable those racecourses to stage additional winter racing.

Willie Mullins gives another of his star inmates a run at Thurles today as Nobody Told Me tops the weights in the apprentice handicap.

Winner of the Grade Grande Course de Haies d'Auteuil, the French Champion Hurdle, in mid-June, Nobody Told Me is coming back from a slight injury.

"It is her first run back and the ground will be a bit lively but it is so hard to get into a race in the first place," Mullins said.

"For the season ahead we're looking at races between two and a half and three miles. We won't be afraid of travelling and there are a couple of races at Auteuil that might be suitable, " he added.

John Oxx could be the trainer to follow in both divisions of the mile and a half maiden with Fran Berry replacing the suspended Johnny Murtagh in the saddle.

The In The Wings colt Akhtari is an interesting newcomer in the first part while Happy Story is probably better than her third to Royal Devotion at Listowel would suggest.

Pro Dancer hasn't appeared since being run out of a success at Tralee by Say Again. Nevertheless, he appears a better option than Dr Torus in the first Beginners Chase.