RACING:Thurles, which was cancelled yesterday morning due to waterlogging, will now be held next Friday and will form a two-day meeting at the Co Tipperary venue. Fresh entries will be required.
Testing ground is likely again and Tom Cooper believes similar conditions were to blame for Forpadydeplasterer’s disappointing performance in last weekend’s Paddy Power Gold Cup.
Although the 10-year-old has failed to get his head in front since claiming Arkle Trophy glory in 2009, he has run some tremendous races in defeat at the very highest level.
His trainer was confident of a big effort in the week leading up to his first ever start in a handicap at Cheltenham last Saturday, but the rain arrived the night before and Cooper believes that scuppered his chance.
Cooper said yesterday: “Everything is 100 per cent with him. The ground was just totally against him on the day. He couldn’t jump out of the ground at all and Paddy [Brennan] did the right thing by pulling him up.
“We’ll play it by ear with him now and see how Christmas goes. There are a couple of options for him at home around that time.
“We’ll be gearing him towards the spring, in all honesty, when hopefully he’ll show his best back on better ground.”
Trainer Shark Hanlon is not concerned with the soft ground and is praying Ardglen makes the final field for the Ladbrokes Troytown Chase at Navan on Sunday.
The eight-year-old is 28th on the list and with a maximum field of 20 assured, there is no guarantee he will make the cut.
Ardglen is a confirmed stayer, having finished third in the Cork Grand National on his penultimate start and Hanlon said: “He will definitely run if he gets in and I hope he does because he will absolutely love the ground.
“He ran a blinder in the Cork Grand National and then again at Punchestown. He’s in really good form.”
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