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Monday 8 February 2010

Sunday's Hennessy Gold Cup winner Joncol is only 50-50 to run at the Cheltenham Festival, and would have the Ryanair Chase rather than the Gold Cup as his target, with trainer Paul Nolan saying: "Cheltenham is at the back of my mind and he is only 50-50 to run there. If he does go it will be for the Ryanair and I have no regrets not entering him for the Gold Cup with Kauto Star and Denman being in there. If the ground stays right I'd love to run him in the Guinness Gold Cup at Punchestown."

Dunguib is an odds-on chance for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle after his Deloitte Hurdle win, with trainer Philip Fenton saying after the race: "That was the worst he has jumped and he was clumsy at a few hurdles. The last hurdle was probably his best and he jumped nine flights at home during the week with no mistakes.

"He cruises through his races and travels with ease. I wanted him to relax and settle, and he perhaps did that too much."

Citizen Vic won the Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase, and winning trainer Willie Mullins reported: "I think the Powers Gold Cup at Fairyhouse would be tailor-made for him but we will have a look at the RSA Chase first."

Gordon Elliott was on winning form at Musselburgh on Sunday with Triumoh Hurdle hope Carlito Brigante. Elliott said after the win: "He is a big, laid back horse and the Triumph Hurdle at Cheltenham is the plan now. That course will suit him much better as Musselburgh is a bit tight for him."

Donald McCain won the John Smith's No Nonsense Novices' Chase with Fiendish Flame, who will be aimed at the Jewson Novices' Handicap Chase.

Nicky Henderson has yet to decide on a further target for Saturday's Scilly Isles Chase winner Punchestown's, telling PA Sport: "There's the Reynoldstown a fortnight from now which gives us three weeks to Cheltenham, or we wait three weeks from now and the Wayward Lad which gives you two weeks to Cheltenham.

"He didn't have a desperately hard race. It was all good experience, he got experience of finding legs and things. I thought Barry was great on him because he made a nasty mistake and AP was well aware of what was happening and set sail pretty swiftly to try to nick it.

"He just probably needed it as well. He is a very stuffy horse and that would tempt me to go again, but there are other ways of getting there and maybe a race isn't it. The timing is getting quite delicate from here-on. I won't rule anything in, but I'm certainly not ruling anything out."

Owner Michael O'Leary would like to run former Gold Cup winner War Of Attrition in the Grand National, but a run in the Aintree spectacular depends on what weight is allotted.

O'Leary told At The Races: "We were delighted with him last time. He hadn't run well over fences for about two years. It's very hard for him in Ireland because he wants good ground and he just doesn't jump out of soft that well any more.

"Mouse said 'let's go back over hurdles' and he loved it at Christmas and ran very well at Gowran. We'll send him off to the Boyne Hurdle at Navan next and after that we'll see what the weights are like in the National.

"If he gets a ridiculously high weight in the National, we'll probably take him to Cheltenham for the World Hurdle. If he gets a reasonable weight, we'll maybe put him away and wait for Aintree so we'll see what the handicapper does."

Tom George is likely to send Tartak to the Grand Annual at the Cheltenahm Festival rather than the Champion Chase.

Forpadydeplasterer missed his weekend target with a reccurrence of a foot inhjury. Trainer Tom Cooper reports the eight year old will miss Cheltenham, but should be back in action at the Punchestown Festival in April.