Limit may drop back in trip

Racing News:Edward O'Grady is considering dropping his star novice Sky's The Limit back to a two-mile trip for the St Stephen's Day highlight at Leopardstown's Christmas meeting.

Sky's The Limit landed the Grade One Drinmore over two and a half miles at Fairyhouse earlier this month, after which O'Grady was non-committal about a follow up in the two-mile Durkan New Homes Novice Chase or a hike up to three miles for the Grade One Knight Frank Ganly Walters Novice Chase on Day Three of the Christmas festival. However, the Co Tipperary trainer said yesterday that he is considering the Durkan option and also repeated he is pondering missing the Cheltenham Festival in favour of the Powers Gold Cup at the Fairyhouse Easter festival just a week later.

"At this stage I'm leaning towards the two-mile race at Christmas," O'Grady reported. "There's a long time between now and March but avoiding Cheltenham this time is something on my mind."

Sky's The Limit was a Cheltenham winner in 2006 with a spectacular triumph in the Coral Cup and is rated a 16 to 1 shot by Paddy Power for both the Arkle and the Royal and SunAlliance Chase next March.

O'Grady also revealed that his promising hurdler, Catch Me, will appear next in a pre-Christmas Listed race at Thurles on Sunday week and said: "It's worth €35,000 and looks tailor made for him."

Catch Me is among the principals in ante-post betting for the Bewleyshotels December Festival Hurdle at Leopardstown, a race that O'Grady will target with another high-class runner Clopf.

The Punchestown Festival winner disappointed behind Harchibald in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle on his last start and the trainer reported: "Nothing has shown up since to explain it so I guess we'll have to put up with it. The plan is to run at Christmas."

Knight Legend is the sole Irish contender for Saturday's Boylesports Gold Cup at Cheltenham where the reigning champion hurdler, Sublimity, will be "ready to do himself justice" on his first start back since springing a surprise championship victory at the track last March.

Sublimity will be joined by Jessica Harrington's Macs Joy in the Boylesports International Hurdle which will see Afsoun and Katchit represent the home team.

Sublimity's trainer John Carr has already stated he believes that it will not be the end of the world if his stable star is beaten on his comeback but yesterday he insisted the horse is in good enough shape to run well. "He summered well - possibly too well because he put on a lot of weight - but he's in very good form. He has been in since late August, is cantering every day and is as fit as we can get him without a run. He won't be fully wound up as we want to leave something for the spring but he is fit enough to do himself justice," Carr reported.

The Maynooth-based trainer added: "Good ground is being forecast for Saturday and that will be fine. Cheltenham seems to have missed a lot of the heavy rain and we know he goes well at the track. He seems to be better going left-handed and he'll run a good race."

Another Irish entry in the Boylesports race is Jazz Messenger but his trainer, Noel Meade, has stated that the Morgiana winner is more likely to run in Navan's Giltspur Scientific Tara Hurdle on Sunday instead.

Sunday's Grade One action at Navan will be the Barry and Sandra Kelly Memorial Novice Hurdle for which Meade is lining up Gem Daly, narrowly beaten on his last start at the track in the Monksfield Hurdle.

Uncle Junior from Willie Mullins's yard is set to be joined by Decoy Daddy, trained by his brother, Tony, in the two-and-a-half-mile feature.

Cork's Sunday feature is the O'Connell Logistics Hilly Way Chase (Grade 2, 2m) which could see the 2004 AIG Champion Hurdle winner Foreman have his first run for Charlie Swan since being moved from Thierry Doumen's Chantilly yard during the summer. The race is also an option for Snowy Morning.