Nick Dundee ready for Gowran test

Nick Dundee is set to be schooled this morning ahead of Saturday's Red Mills Chase, a race that trainer Edward O'Grady believes will leave the star chaser "pretty right" for the Gold Cup.

The weekend contest at Gowran will be Nick Dundee's fourth start of the season following his remarkable comeback from injury and despite being successful just once, he remains as low as 12 to 1 for Cheltenham.

The school will be the horse's first since his dramatic fifth-fence fall in the Hennessy 10 days ago which has left O'Grady grateful for the Gowran option to continue Nick Dundee's Gold Cup preparation.

"I'm sure if he'd won the Hennessy we would have gone straight to Cheltenham, but this is a great second opportunity. I expect Saturday will leave him pretty right and I expect a good performance.

"Three miles around Gowran won't just be a gallop for him. It looks like being a good and competitive race. At the same time I'm hoping he'll win it," O'Grady said yesterday.

The last two Thyestes Chase winners, Bob Treacy and Micko's Dream, are likely opposition for Nick Dundee.

O'Grady had an upbeat report about Nick Dundee's half brother, the Gerrard Supreme Novices' Hurdle favourite Ned Kelly, who saw his Cheltenham odds lengthen despite winning at Fairyhouse on Sunday.

"He's in super form. He had to work harder than I expected at Fairyhouse but you have to remember the conditions. It was the type of ground that scuttled Istabraq and similar to Newbury on Saturday where three odds-on shots were beaten. So you have to give him his due, he coped well.

"In many ways he's damned if he does and he's damned if he doesn't. If he'd won on the bridle everyone would be asking what will he do when he comes off it, and when he does come off it they're not impressed. I thought he won going away in the last 50 yards and I'm happy with him," the Tipperary trainer said.

Even if Nick Dundee is the main focus on Saturday, there will still be more than enough attention left over this week for what Willie Mullins does with his hugely powerful string of bumper horses.

Mullins, who has won the Cheltenham Bumper four times in the last five years, already has Davenport Milenium, Summer In Siberia and One Night Out lined up for this season's race. But it's the possibility that potentially the best in the Mullins yard has yet to appear which is intriguing the racing public.

Cashmans are quoting just 2 to 1 about his stable winning the race which means every bumper run at home over the next couple of weeks could be extra significant.

The unraced Bassett Tiger is already as low as 7 to 1 with some bookies for Cheltenham and holds entries at Clonmel tomorrow and Gowran and Navan at the weekend.

However, other Mullins-trained unraced horses who hold the same engagements are Hedgehunter, Ixion and Ultimate Accolade.

Aidan O'Brien is aiming to have his first runners at the Emirates Dubai World Cup meeting. He has confirmed six horses for the card at Nad al Sheba on Saturday, March 24th.

Bach, beaten a head by Sinndar in the Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial at Leopardstown last season, is set to represent him in the Emirates Dubai World Cup, while Mull Of Kintyre is his hope for the Godolphin Mile.

O'Brien has a squad of four in the UAE Derby, including National Stakes winner Beckett, Dewhurst fourth Mozart, King's County and Hans Anderson.

An extra race has been added to the card as a consolation race for horses unable to run in the UAE Derby.

The 500,000 contest, which has yet to be named, will be run on dirt over nine furlongs.