Dato Star, second favourite for the Champion Hurdle, has nearly another stone to find to trouble Istabraq at Cheltenham, according to British official handicapper Philip Judge.
Saturday's runaway Haydock Park winner has been raised 4lb but he is still 12lb adrift of the mark set by Istabraq, who is odds-on to strike again at Cheltenham after completing a hat-trick in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle on Sunday.
Reflecting on Dato Star's 17-length defeat of Relkeel, Judge said: "At the moment, though things are not yet finalised, I intend to put Dato Star up from 168 to 172, the same mark as after he won the Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle last season which was also a very good performance.
"I have not been able to get hold of Noel O'Brien, the senior Irish handicapper, but I have spoken to Andy Shaw his assistant and they do not believe that Istabraq did anything more yesterday than he had done in his best performances to date.
"So they will be leaving him on 174 on their figures but we add 10lb to fit in with ours and he will be on 184 as far as we are concerned - I am quite happy to go along with their assessments."
If none the worse of his run when fourth to Istabraq on Sunday, Limestone Lad may reappear in next Sunday's Bank Of Ireland at Naas, where the opposition may include Le Coudray and Dorans Pride.
Limestone Lad and Le Coudray have met twice already this season, with honours even. Back in October at Navan, Le Coudray was a comfortable winner by two lengths over two and a half miles. However, Limestone Lad turned the tables in no uncertain manner over the same course and distance in December when coming home unchallenged 20 lengths clear.
Dorans Pride, after running a lifeless race over fences at Chrismas, reverted to hurdling earlier this month with immediate success. Coincidentally, this run was also over two and a half miles at Navan and the 11-year-old gave two stone and a three and half length beating to Gentle Mossy.
Mouse Morris's decision to keep Boss Doyle to hurdling for the remainder of the season, means that the Michael Hickey-trained Bob Treacy, last year's winner, is set to carry top weight in the Cuisine de France Thyestes Chase at Gowran on Thursday for the second successive year.
The acceptors are: Boss Doyle 8, 12-0; Bob Treacy 11, 11-8; His Song 7, 11-7; Inis Cara 8,11-3; Micko's Dream 8, 11-1; Native Estates 8, 11-1; Lord Singapore 12, 10-10; Sydney Twothousand 10, 10-9; Fiddlers Tune 10,10-7; Palette, 8, 10-1; Irish Light 12, 9-10; Roundwood 11,9-9; Market Lass 8, 9-8; Magical Approach 10, 9-6; Clash Of The Gales 8, 9-2; Macnamarasband 11, 9-1; Broguestown Breeze 7, 9-0; Oneofourown 9, 8-2.
Noel Chance is waiting on a long-range weather forecast from this country in the next two weeks before deciding on whether to run Looks Like Trouble in the Pillar Property Chase at Cheltenham on Saturday.
Chance has to decide between that race and the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup at Leopardstown on Sunday week for his eight-year-old.
