Cheltenham confidence in new watering system

Despite an almost two-week dry spell that is forecast to continue, the Cheltenham executive are confident of producing good ground at the festival next month.

Last year, Cheltenham was extensively criticised for the lightening fast ground which it provided over the three days but the extensive work done during the autumn with a new watering system is starting to bear fruit.

"We have the ground where we want it at this stage and are very satisfied with its condition. We used the watering system extensively up to November and even now, when we are going through a dry spell, there is still plenty of moisture just below the surface," said Cheltenham's managing director Edward Gillespie yesterday.

"If we have to water for the festival, we can now leave the decision till later than previously," Gillespie added.

That will be good news for Irish trainers, although Michael Hourigan, trainer of Dorans Pride, is starting to feel the ground may not be the vital concern for Dorans Pride that he had previously thought.

"We used to think he needed cut in the ground but maybe I was wrong. He's won on bottomless ground, but he won the Power Gold Cup on the hard and it really doesn't bother me what will turn up at Cheltenham," Hourigan said yesterday.

He is also upbeat about how well Dorans Pride has come out of his Hennessy Gold Cup victory.

"He's a lot better horse since Leopardstown. He's himself again now, different in character from after his Naas run which had us all so worried. The worry at this stage is getting him to Cheltenham in one piece," Hourigan added.

Oscar Schindler, Ireland's sole initial nomination for the Dubai World Cup, has been joined by the Dermot Weldtrained Dance Design at the second entry stage for the race, which will be run on March 28th.

Bahhare, Busy Flight and rank outsider Statistician have also been added to the field. They join the likes of Centre Stalls, Luso and Romanov in an 11-strong British entry. A total of 28 horses were added to the 10-furlong event at the second stage, bringing the final list of nominations up to 112. They will be whittled down to a final line-up of 14 for the Group One race by an international panel of handicappers.

Jockey Adrian Maguire returns to the track today hoping he will have a trouble free path towards the Cheltenham Festival. Maguire was yesterday cleared for his Leicester return after breaking his right hand following a fall from the David Nicholson-trained Hurricane Lamp at Kempton's Christmas meeting.