Macs Flamingo looks set for Cheltenham

RACING Leopardstown report and News:  Macs Flamingo looked to book himself a berth on the Cheltenham plane when making a successful return from injury at Leopardstown yesterday.

The Pat Fahy-trained horse started favourite for the Ballsbridge Hurdle but ultimately had to struggle hard to get the better of Pom Flyer by a length under Barry Geraghty.

However, Fahy was far from disappointed at the display and in fact declared that the horse could hardly have done any more in the circumstances.

"After he ran at Naas in January he got a massive infection in a cut in his near-fore. He had 10 days with Ned Gowing at his clinic and was off in total for 17 days. He's only back cantering for three weeks and that was his first serious piece of work since. He didn't win on the bridle but I don't think you could expect him to," said Fahy.

The trainer had said the SunAlliance Hurdle was a target if Macs Flamingo won and he added: "He will more than likely go as long as he comes out of this okay. There should be an awful lot of improvement in him."

One plus point for the Fahy team will be that Macs Flamingo's time was over two seconds faster than the following handicap which was won by Escrea from the Paul Nolan yard.

Nolan reported that his Smurfit Champion Hurdle hope Accordion Etoile worked well at Tipperary racecourse on Saturday and he said: "In my opinion Accordion Etoile has never been better. He went a mile and a half on some reasonable ground down there and we were delighted."

Missed That is favourite to provide Willie Mullins with a fifth success in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper and his form got a boost when Slim Pickings justified favouritism in the opening maiden hurdle.

Robert Tyner's horse also has placed form behind Travino and relished in the easier company, and the heavy ground, yesterday.

Vintage Gold was heavily backed to earn his own Cheltenham ticket in the first division of the bumper but he pulled hard off a slow pace and only wound up fourth behind Wanango.

The winner was a rare bumper runner for Tommy Stack who got the horse from France last summer.

Jim came back from hurdling to make all the running in the Mick Holly Chase in which the topweight Le Coudray was badly hampered at the eighth fence.

Jim's appropriately named trainer Jim Dreaper doesn't think his horse will get the Irish National trip but there could be a race for him at Liverpool. If Jim does travel, Dreaper will be looking for jockey Robbie Power again. Yesterday was his fifth winner from just seven rides for Dreaper.

Charlie Swan saddled a pre-festival double with the newcomer Good To Be King in the second leg of the bumper and Strong Project in the novice chase.