IT MIGHT be an unorthodox warm-up for next month’s Hennessy Gold Cup but trainer Liam Burke is set to run his stable star Thyne Again over two miles at Fairyhouse on Sunday.

Thyne Again is one of 10 entries for the Grade Two Normans Grove Chase and he will attempt to reverse placings with Watson Lake after both horses were placed behind Big Zeb at Leopardstown over Christmas.

However, Co Cork-based Burke is keen to give the Grade One winning chestnut a start over three miles sooner rather than later and is targeting Leopardstown’s Hennessy Gold Cup.

“I would like to give him at least one race at three miles just to see how he will stay.

“I’m hopeful he will because he won over two mile and six over hurdles and his pedigree suggests he will even though most of his races have been at two or two and a half,” he said yesterday.

“This weekend’s race will be a nice warm-up for him even though he will be wrong at the weights with Watson Lake.

“I had to miss the Durkan and I wasn’t happy going to Leopardstown the last day even though he ended up running well.

“But he will take his chance and then we’ll look at the Hennessy,” Burke added.

Thyne Again holds entries in the Queen Mother Champion Chase, the Ryanair and the Gold Cup at Cheltenham.

The Leopardstown event on February 8th could be crucial in determining which route he takes at the festival.

“Master Minded is in the Champion Chase and we probably have no chance against him. There’s the Ryanair which is probably his ideal trip but we have also put him in the Gold CupA.

“If some of the good ones came out of that we would like to know how he gets on over three miles. So I’m keen to go for the Hennessy,” the trainer explained.

Also remaining in Sunday’s Norman’s Grove are Watson Lake, beaten just half a length by Big Zeb in the Dial-A-Bet at Leopardstown over Christmas, and the 2007 Dial-A-Bet winner Mansony.

Champion trainer Willie Mullins has the option of running both Scotsirish and Tuesday’s Grade Three winner at Thurles, Irish Invader.

A total of 25 entries remain in the three-mile novice hurdle on the same day including last season’s Cheltenham bumper runner up Corskeagh Royale and his former stable companion, another ex-bumper star Mick The Man, who is now in the care of Colm Murphy.

Tony Martin was out of luck in last weekend’s big race as Psycho got edged out of the Pierse Hurdle but he has three options going into Saturday’s £70,000 Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock.

Martin’s trio are led by the former Cheltenham Festival winner Dun Doire, Newbay Prop, a former Paddy Power Chase hero, and Hold The Pin who is at the bottom of the limited handicap.

Sublimity’s trainer Robbie Hennessy reckons his stable star is value at a general 9 to 1 to regain his Champion Hurdle crown at Cheltenham in March.

“I am hoping to run him on Sunday week in the Irish Champion,” Hennessy said yesterday.

“Last year at Cheltenham the rain came that morning and if it hadn’t he might have stayed a lot better up the hill.

“He seems as good as ever and he doesn’t have that many miles on the clock.

“I am going to Cheltenham very hopeful even though the bookmakers make it a one horse race with Binocular. But it’s no pushover for him and my horse is a great price,” he added.

Stick with Mullins-Walsh team

TODAY’S THURLES card has been reduced to a six-race fixture with no steeplechases but the usual pattern of following the Willie Mullins-Ruby Walsh team still looks like it should be followed, writes Brian O’Connor.

The two-mile Ballynonty Maiden Hurdle has been split into three legs and the final two divisions look good for the Mullins team with Layde Back and Otay Kawn.

The latter graduated from bumpers to run a promising sixth to Corskeagh Royale at Leopardstown during the Christmas festival and that experience should make him hard to beat.

Layde Back is making his jumping debut after winning his sole start to date in a bumper here last month.

He has plenty in hand of today’s opponent Inistioge on that form.

A feature of the last six weeks has been the good form enjoyed by horses from the Co Wicklow yard of Philip Rothwell.

Today he runs Wicklow Lad in the two and a quarter mile handicap hurdle and a repeat of this one’s efforts behind Colls Corner at Limerick at Blaise Hollow at Cork will see him with a serious chance.

Blaise Hollow is 7lb higher in the ratings for that Cork victory last month but should still be a major player in the Ladies handicap hurdle.