Foley is happy with ground at Aintree

TOMMY TREACY will continue his association with Danoli in Saturday's Grade One Martell Aintree Hurdle. Trainer Tom Foley said yesterday morning "Tommy Treacy rides and with the ground looking as though it could be quite decent and other good horses likely to run it could be a pure race, with nobody having any complaints."

The combination ran slightly below expectations on their latest start behind Collier Bay in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle always in a prominent position but held when making a mistake at the second last then keeping on in his usual stout hearted fashion to finish just over 10 lengths behind Jim Old's winner.

On Saturday, the eight year old will be trying to complete his hat trick in Aintree's feature hurdle having been successful in the last two runnings.

In the first of those wins in 1994, Danoli scored a memorable victory for a novice when defeating Mole Board. Last year the son of The Parson followed up battling on gamely to defeat Boro Eight by three parts of a length.

Immediately after his 1995 success Danoli was diagnosed as having fractured his off fore fetlock and was dispatched to Leahurst Veterinary College in Liverpool for an operation.

Foley added "Danoli travels over tomorrow and this time I want him to come home when he is supposed to. He has been on the go for virtually two years and he badly needs a long rest. He is in good form for Saturday's race but he deserves some time off.

"When he gets home we will wait for the decent weather then he will be turned out to grass. There is no point turning him away straight away because decent grass is in very short supply with us at the moment.

. Warren Marston was left fuming after picking up a two day whip ban at Chepstow yesterday afternoon, which rules him out of action over the Easter weekend. "I'll probably appeal as I have been done for hitting Landed Gentry after the line but it's very difficult to see where the winning post is when you're riding on the inside here as I was," raged Marston.