Evans to take on Istabraq

Welsh trainer David Evans will again take on Champion Hurdler Istabraq with Master Beveled in the Avonmore Waterford Hatton's Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse on Sunday.

Master Beveled finished second, beaten four lengths, behind Istabraq on their last meeting at Cork earlier this month but Evans said yesterday: "You get more for finishing second in the Fairyhouse race than you do for winning some contests over here.

"As far as I'm concerned Master Beveled runs, and who knows, Istabraq might trip up!"

Jockey arrangements have not yet been concluded but it is expected that Tom Tracey will have the mount.

Evans also intends to run Punchestown winner Gutteridge in the Chiquita Drinmore Novice Chase on the same card.

Gutteridge scored at 33 to 1 from His Song in the £8,000 race, having failed to make a great impact in novice events in Britain.

Richard Dunwoody will be reunited with the Michael Hourigan-trained Inis Cara in the Chiquita Drinmore Novices Chase at the Fairyhouse meeting. Hourigan said yesterday: "Richard has already won on Inis Cara. He was successful in a two and a half miles hurdle at Clonmel last February."

The trainer hopes that Inis Cara, who won last time out at Fairyhouse under Paul Carberry, will follow in the path of Dorans Pride who won the Drinmore Chase under Dunwoody in 1996 when See More Business was runner-up.

Moyglare Stud Farm has sent five horses to Florida to be trained by Christophe Clement, a son of the French trainer, Nicholas Clement. The quintet are the three-year-olds Hibernian Rhapsody, Idilic Calm, Style Parade and Missing The Beat as well as the two-year-old Beauty Go Leor, all formerly with Dermot Weld.

"Christophe is one of the rising stars of the American training scene and the aim is to try and get some black type with these horses," said Moyglare manager Stan Cosgrove yesterday.

Leading American amateur jump jockey Bitsy Patterson is reported to be in a critical condition following a racecourse fall on Sunday.

She suffered severe head injuries at the Springdale track in Camden, South Carolina, and was airlifted to hospital in a coma after her mount in the third race, Raptor, fell at the penultimate hurdle.

Patterson (28), won the Grade One Breeders' Cup Grand National and Grade Two Ferguson Memorial for leading trainer Janet Elliot aboard Flat Top, whom she had again been set to ride later that afternoon in the Grade One Colonial Cup.

Flat Top won the race under substitute rider Colvin Ryan.

Ocean Hawk snatched victory from the jaws of defeat with a brave performance to land the Grade Two Tote Placepot Birthday Worcester Novices' Chase at Worcester yesterday. But the former top class staying hurdler will not be asked to jump fences again in the near future as trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies is switching him back to the smaller obstacles following the victory.