DORANS PRIDE'S assault on the Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup remains in the balance after the eight year old failed to graduate successfully from novice company over fences in the Grade Two Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles yesterday.

Jumping quickly and accurately, Dorans Pride, racing against experienced chasers for the first time, turned for home full of running only to pay the penalty for putting in an extra stride at the second last obstacle.

Outjumping both the eventual winner Merry Gale and runner up Royal Mountbrowne, the 1 to 2 favourite cleared the third last in style and was five lengths up on his pursuers rounding the final bend with jockey Shane Broderick still sitting motionless.

However, to the surprise of his rider and the dismay of the crowd, Dorans Pride put in an extra stride, breasted the fence and toppled over to leave Merry Gale and Royal Mountbrowne on either side to fight out the finish of the £15,000 event.

After Dorans Pride and Broderick had been reunited to trot home on the flat, the chestnut's trainer Michael Hourigan said: "We won't be making any decision about the Gold Cup for a week or two. He seems okay and I hope he is fine in the morning."

Bookmaker reaction to Dorans Pride's fall has been to leave his odds for the Gold Cup unchanged.

After Merry Gale had galloped to a three quarters of a length win, his trainer Jim Dreaper ruled out a crack at either the Gold Cup or the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

A miscalculation over race times prevented Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Imperial Call from doing an exercise canter at the track after racing yesterday.

His trainer Fergie Sutherland last night ruled his eight year old out of the Red Mills Trial Chase at Gowran Park tomorrow after tests had shown the gelding's blood to be wrong. This was scheduled to be his last race before the Festival.

Instead, the plan was to exercise. Imperial Call after the Thurles card. However, Sutherland elected to keep the gelding at home after finding out that racing began at 2.0 p.m., one hour and 40 minutes later than he thought.

"I thought racing started at 12.20. He would have got back very late otherwise we would have gone for a spin," said Sutherland. "But he would have had to gallop in the dark, we wouldn't have left the course until 6.30 and he wouldn't have got back here until 10 p.m."

Imperial Call is William Hill's 7 to 2 favourite to become the first horse since L'Escargot to win successive Gold Cups.