SOUND MAN, who disappointed at Navan on Saturday was reported "absolutely fine" yesterday morning by Edward O'Grady who still intends to aim the gelding at a repeat victory in the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown next month.
The top two-miler was beaten fully 20 lengths by Anabatic in the Fortria Chase, for which he was sent off 1 to 4 favourite.
O'Grady said: "Sound Man is absolutely fine this morning and there is no explanation for what happened yesterday. I am obviously disappointed but he probably wasn't as fit as I thought he was and the winner was as fit as he will ever be.
"The winner is a good horse. He was getting two stone and he was the best horse on the day. But Sound Man is perfect now and he will still go for the Tingle Creek."
The Sandown race was one of five Sound Man won last season as he proved himself one of the best two-milers in training and finished third in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham.
He also took the First National Bank Gold Cup at Ascot, a race which O'Grady said yesterday his Arkle Trophy winner Ventana Canyon will have to miss.
"Ventana Canyon is sound but plan A has gone out of the window," he said. "He was going to go for the First National Bank G.old Cup but he won't be ready in time. There are no new plans for him yet and it is back to the drawing board."
John Dunlop, successful in Italy on Saturday with Ninotchka, completed a Milan weekend double with the two-year-old Yavlensky (Michael Roberts) at San Siro yesterday. Yavlensky made it third time lucky when accounting for Paul Kelleway's unraced Royal Aty (Richard Hughes) by a length and a quarter in the Premio Carcano over a mile.
However, there was no Dunlop Italian weekend treble as Passi d'Orlando (Fernando Jovine) ran third to Golden Avventura and War Declaration in the Premio Fiuggi over a mile in Rome.
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