Justified all set for Queen Mother option

The Grade One winner Justified looks set to be added to the Irish team for Cheltenham's Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase where he will attempt to make up for his previous unhappy festival experience.

That came in the 2005 Supreme Novices' Hurdle where the hugely fancied "Dusty" Sheehy-trained star could finish only eighth. Last year Justified missed out on the Arkle Trophy but after an interrupted campaign this season, he appears to be back on track to try and improve his Cheltenham record.

"We originally planned to run at Gowran this weekend but now we will go straight to Cheltenham and we are swaying towards running him in the Champion Chase rather than the Ryanair Chase," reported Sheehy yesterday.

Justified defeated In Compliance in a memorable Powers Gold Cup victory at Fairyhouse last Easter but early plans this term to extend the horse to longer distances were shelved after he was pulled up in the John Durkan in December.

A decent comeback run at Fairyhouse last month behind Nickname has encouraged Sheehy to drop Justified back to two miles and join an Irish squad headed by the current champion Newmill against the new ante-post favourite Well Chief.

"I think the Champion might be the more suitable option. There seems to be a lot of pacey horses in the race this year and that would suit us. A lot will depend on the ground, of course. We want it safe," Sheehy said.

"But his preparation has been going very well and I think it would be best to take a fresh horse there rather than run him again in between," Sheehy added.

"It's too early to talk about jockeys and their availability but we will obviously look at Conor (O'Dwyer) who rode him the last day and AP McCoy."

Justified is as low as 16 to 1 with some firms for the Queen Mother and similar prices are still floating about for the highly-rated Perce Rock who is back on track for the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle after a very disappointing run behind Orbit O'Gold at Punchestown earlier in the month. "We scoped him this morning and he was clear. I think there is every chance we can get him to Cheltenham now," said trainer Tommy Stack's son, "Fozzie", yesterday. "He scoped dirty after that run at Punchestown and he was on antibiotics for the week after. But he should be okay now. One bad run doesn't make him a bad horse. He is in both novice hurdles but I imagine the Supreme will be the one."

Central House is set to take his chance in the Grade One Commercial First Ascot Chase on Saturday and he could be accompanied to the Berkshire track by another Dessie Hughes runner, Imperial Sun, who figures among the entries for the Grade Two Reynoldstown Novice Chase.

Hughes's main focus on Saturday, though, will be on Gowran Park's Red Mills Trial Hurdle where the former dual-champion Hardy Eustace will take on a star-studded field including last year's race winner Macs Joy.

The latter's trainer, Jessica Harrington, gave an upbeat report on a piece of work by Macs Joy at the Curragh yesterday morning and is hopeful of a big run.

"He came out of the AIG at Leopardstown very well and had a nice breeze at the Curragh this morning. I hope the ground isn't too heavy at Gowran but we will have to take what we get. He's won on heavy in the past anyway.

"It looks like being a good race and there is very little between these horses," Harrington said.

"He looked like he was out of it in the AIG going down the back but he picked up once they got in to the straight and got virtually in to contention. He did as well at Punchestown before that and there is very little between the top hurdlers. And with Detroit City in the mix as well this year, you have got a hell of a race,"

Although Justified will be trained specifically for the Champion Chase, his old rival Nickname will have one more run in the Newlands Chase at Naas on Sunday week before trainer Martin Brassil even thinks about the Cheltenham highlight.

"The Champion Chase is only an option if it is soft. His action wouldn't suggest he would like faster ground and he handles soft and heavy so well," Brassil said yesterday. "He seems to be a better horse this season and it has helped that he can now settle in during a race."