O'Dwyer bids for Florida ride

RACING/Cheltenham News: Willie Mullins is delaying naming a replacement for the prized ride on Florida Pearl in Thursday's Tote Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The Irish star's original jockey Adrian Maguire faces a prolonged spell on the sidelines after sustaining a neck injury at Warwick on Saturday.

Maguire was scheduled to undergo an operation last night but trainer Ferdy Murphy reported the unlucky jockey could face up to four months on the injury list.

"He has broken a bone in his neck and I think he will be out for three to four months," said Murphy.

The injury has presented Mullins with yet another jockey dilemma involving Florida Pearl. Maguire picked up the King George winning ride at Christmas only after both Paul Carberry and Ruby Walsh turned the ride down.

"I'm not making any plans yet. I'm going to wait. You wouldn't know who might become available. The horse has to travel safely and things have to go right. I'm not panicking," said Mullins yesterday.

Speculation at Naas yesterday was that the 1996 Gold Cup-winning rider Conor O'Dwyer could be in line to pick up the Florida Pearl ride. The veteran jockey confirmed his agent had been in contact with Mullins.

"John Shortt rang Willie to let him know I am available but I haven't heard anything back yet," said O'Dwyer, who won steeplechasing's blue riband with the last Irish winner, Imperial Call.

Maguire's accident is the latest in a catalogue of Cheltenham misfortune that the Meath-born rider has endured.

He missed the 1995 Festival due to the death of his mother and was also forced out of the following two years with collar bone and arm injuries respectively.

Other news on the Irish Gold Cup hopes yesterday centred on jockey arrangements for the Frances Crowley hopefuls, Sackville and Moscow Express. Shay Barry has been booked for Moscow Express while John Cullen has been provisionally pencilled in for the ride on the former ante-post favourite, Sackville.

Istabraq is now a 15 to 8 favourite with Ladbrokes for tomorrow's Smurfit Champion Hurdle following the weekend defection of Ned Kelly from the race.

Ned Kelly worked on Saturday but the gelding didn't scope clean afterwards.

Ned Kelly's defection is the fourth of the original team of 10 that O'Grady had hoped to send to Cheltenham that has been withdrawn.

The remaining six are set to run however including the SunAlliance Hurdle hopeful Sacundai, who will be ridden by Tony Dobbin, taking over from Maguire.

Significant rain fell on Cheltenham yesterday afternoon, easing both the ground and concerns from some trainers about the likelihood of fast going at the Festival.

Pat Hughes has just the one runner at Cheltenham this week but he warmed up for Billy The Snake's tilt at the four-mile National Hunt Chase with Rapid Deployment's neck victory in the handicap hurdle yesterday.

Hughes went on to make it a double as Mantles Prince easily won the novice chase.