Fingers crossed for Leopardstown

RACING:PROVIDED WEATHER problems don't intervene, a bumper Cheltenham-trial weekend is shaping up in Ireland with hopes growing especially that Saturday's prestigious Hennessy card can eventually go ahead.

The Leopardstown track was raceable again yesterday, just 48 hours after waterlogging forced the postponement of the fixture that contains four Grade One races.

Fresh declarations for those top-flight races took place yesterday with two new names, Madison Du Berlais and Glencove Marina, added to the €180,000 Hennessy and, as expected, Paul Nicholls rerouting Pride Of Dulcote to Ascot’s Betfair Chase.

The 2009 Newbury Hennessy winner Madison Du Berlais could re-establish a family link to the Leopardstown highlight as David Pipe’s father Martin won the race with Carvill’s Hill in 1992. However, Pipe indicated yesterday that Madison Du Berlais is more likely to wait for a handicap at Haydock.

In Pride Of Dulcote’s absence, last year’s winner Joncol is now a 7 to 4 favourite to become the sixth horse to win the Hennessy more than once.

The other horse bidding to win the Hennessy again is The Listener and his trainer Nick Mitchell believes the veteran grey has become something of a forgotten contender.

“He has come out of the Lexus very well. The objective was to get a race into him and to come back with his leg as clean as a whistle. He hasn’t missed a beat,” the English trainer said yesterday.

“He had a tendon stress on his foreleg and we managed to get it very early before it got seriously bad. He has had stem cell surgery and he’s come back quite quickly with a view to his age.

“I was delighted with his run in the Lexus. He was entitled to have a bit of a blow but all the signs are he still has the ability there. If the opposition is similar to Saturday, without Pride Of Dulcote, I have a lot of faith in him and he is a bit of a forgotten horse. Beef Or Salmon won it as an 11-year-old so it can happen,” he added.

The 11 horses declared for the Spring Juvenile Hurdle all stood their ground yesterday while just So Young, who runs at Punchestown today, has been added to the list of Deloitte Novice Hurdle contenders.

However, three new names are among the eight now remaining in the Dr PJ Moriarty Novice Chase which had a final field of just five declared last weekend, headed by Mikael D’Haguenet.

His stable companion Quel Esprit is one of the new trio, as is Quito De La Roque, but both of them are also entered for Navan on Sunday which has three Grade Two Cheltenham trials of its own.

Many trainers have taken the precaution of entering their star names at both meetings in case Leopardstown falls foul of the weather again but the Dublin track’s authorities were hopeful of getting a green light yesterday.

“Conditions have improved quite a bit. The ground is still heavy but we are raceable. There is a forecast of rain at times but fingers crossed we’ll be okay,” Leopardstown’s manager Tom Burke said yesterday.

Quito De La Roque won a Grade Two on his last start at Naas and could bypass the Moriarty to wait for Sunday’s Ten Up Chase over three miles.

“He is more likely to go there. I put him in the Moriarty in case there was a problem with Navan, or something happened to Mikael D’Haguenet but Navan is more likely,” said his trainer Colm Murphy yesterday.

Quel Esprit is also a Ten Up entry and is among 11 put into the Flyingbolt Chase over two miles. Mikael D’Haguenet was also put in the Flyingbolt at yesterday’s forfeit stage.