Pride won't take place at festival

RACING NEWS: A final throw of the Cheltenham dice in the Foxhunters Chase has been all but ruled out for the veteran star Dorans Pride.

A 10-length second to Sheltering at Leopardstown last weekend had provoked speculation that the former Stayers' Hurdle hero might return to Cheltenham next month.

However, his trainer Michael Hourigan knocked that on the head yesterday and said Dorans Pride's next hunters chase start will be at the Punchestown Festival in April.

"He could be entered for the Cheltenham race but I'm saying he won't run in it. I would have to train the old boy too hard and he's 14 and I wouldn't like to see him beat up. If he is to run in a hunters chase again it will be at Punchestown when the ground will have started to come good again," Hourigan said.

The Patrickswell trainer confirmed that Beef Or Salmon has emerged from Sunday's Hennessy victory in fine shape and remains on course for the Gold Cup.

John Kiely however will be looking to tomorrow's Red Mills Trial at Gowran to see if his Grade One-winning mare Liss A Paoraigh is back to form.

Liss A Paoraigh missed out on the AIG after scoping badly a few days before the race and will have to please connections tomorrow to earn a place in the Smurfit Champion Hurdle field.

"She scoped clean yesterday so hopefully she should be okay. She had a lung infection and you never know sometimes how that can affect them. It can be disastrous for some and not so bad for others," the Co Waterford trainer said.

Liss A Paoraigh is as low as 25-1 for the Champion Hurdle which is her sole Cheltenham entry. "We will try and get Gowran over with first before thinking of anything else. It's one day at a time," Kiely added.

A likely rival for Liss A Paoraigh will be Scottish Memories who ran relatively disappointingly behind Like-A-Butterfly in the AIG last time. The recent Naas winner Sacundai is also likely to take his chance from the Edward O'Grady yard.

Media Puzzle's Dubai adventure is over after a leg injury caused plans to run in the Sheema Classic at the World Cup meeting to be abandoned. The Dermot Weld trained Melbourne Cup winner will be flown home leaving two stable companions behind, Mutakarrim and One Round.

Mutakarrim is being lined up to run in Dubai on the 27th of this month in a mile and three quarter turf race. One More Round is being targeted at the Godolphin Mile.

Limestone Lad's absence from Sunday's McCabe Builders Boyne Hurdle has opened the race up and Tom Taaffe is hoping to take advantage with Emotional Moment. The horse was denied a run in last weekend's Tote Gold Trophy at Newbury after being balloted out.

Florida Pearl is still on the sick list at Willie Mullins' stable but the trainer has not completely ruled out a run in the Gold Cup.