Jessica Harrington is keeping her fingers crossed that the weather does not disrupt ferry services as she hopes to send Slaney Native over this evening to run in Saturday's Thomas Pink Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

Slaney Native is the best-fancied of the Irish possibles in the £80,000 contest and is as short as 10 to 1 with Ladbrokes for the race.

However, the seven-year-old may have to stay at home for Down Royal's Isuzu Chase unless the bad weather relents.

Harrington explained yesterday: "The plan at the moment is to definitely come but of course it depends mainly on the weather and getting the horse over there."

It looks as if Tony McCoy will ride one of Martin Pipe's six entries, but trainer Jonjo O'Neill is holding fire on his plans for a jockey for Legal Right until he is certain McCoy and Richard Johnson are unavailable.