RACING:COLM MURPHY will leave it late to make a final call but his star mare Voler La Vedette could be in line to make a quick reappearance and take on Dunguib in Saturday's Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran.
Voler La Vedette was an impressive winner of last Sunday’s Boyne Hurdle at Navan where the longest distance she has raced over to date – two miles and five furlongs – proved to be no problem.
Saturday’s race is back at two miles but Murphy, who reports it is unlikely he will send the mare back to Cheltenham and will instead wait for Fairyhouse and Punchestown, could be tempted into running her. “If she is bouncing on Friday there’s a chance she will run. She is good at the moment and has come out of the Navan race well,” he said yesterday.
“She probably won’t be going to Cheltenham and it looks like we’re going to Fairyhouse and Punchestown instead. Now that she appears to get further and is settling so well we could be looking at the staying races,” he added. “Anywhere Hurricane Fly isn’t, we’ll probably be!”
Dunguib’s Champion Hurdle credentials will be on the line at Gowran where the 2010 Red Mills winner Luska Lad is also likely to take his chance. It will be Luska Lad’s first start since finishing third to Hurricane Fly at Leopardstown and trainer John “Shark” Hanlon reported: “He came out of it super and the horse has never come out of it so well. We are going to go for the Aintree Hurdle later in the season as he appears to be tailor-made for it.
“Hurricane Fly is probably the Irish banker for Cheltenham and to finish a couple of lengths behind him and a head behind Solwhit was a savage run. The horse to beat would be Dunguib but after all his problems this year you don’t know what way he is or isn’t and you can’t be afraid of one horse.”
Another horse set to miss Cheltenham is the 2009 Arkle Trophy winner Forpadydeplasterer who could now be aimed at the Punchestown festival after being on the sidelines since being pulled up in the King George last month.
“He came back from Kempton a very sick horse and I think making the two trips to Kempton, first in December and then when the race was rearranged, put paid to him,” trainer Tom Cooper said yesterday. “I thought last week we were looking good for Cheltenham but I’d rather not take him over again so soon. I’ll keep him here for the rest of the season and hopefully he’ll be ready for Punchestown,” he added.
Willie Mullins yesterday said Hurricane Fly remains on track for a tilt at the Champion Hurdle but said plans for his star novices Zaidpour and Mikael D’Haguenet remain unclear after their defeats at Leopardstown last Saturday.Hurricane Fly is 5 to 1 second favourite for the Champion.
