Paul Carberry doesn't intend to rush any return to race riding and may leave it until the Cheltenham Festival itself before getting back into the saddle.

Carberry, who is set the ride the Gold Cup second favourite, Florida Pearl, in nine days' time, will meet with surgeon Dr Fred Kenny today to assess his recovery from a back injury sustained while hunting last month.

Carberry said yesterday: "I'll see what he has to say but I feel good in myself. I'll see how I feel at the weekend but it could be that I won't ride until Cheltenham. I want to give myself time."

With the festival starting next Tuesday, time is in relatively short supply, but Florida Pearl's trainer Willie Mullins said yesterday that he is happy to wait on his jockey's recovery.

The Turf Club medical officer, Dr Walter Halley, added yesterday that it is virtually impossible to calculate with certainty when an injury like Carberry's will right itself.

"With a soft tissue injury, bruising and a haemotoma, time is of the essence. Paul is being reviewed by Fred Kenny tomorrow and he will come back to me with an update on the situation," Halley said.

Aidan O'Brien has given an upbeat bulletin on Istabraq but conceded that the treble-seeking Champion Hurdler could go to Cheltenham weighing even more than he did last year.

O'Brien expressed concern on the eve of Cheltenham last year with Istabraq's weight and said yesterday: "He'll probably be heavier this time but I'm happy enough with him. Maybe he's just getting older - we'll know on Tuesday week - but he seems in good form."

The Ballydoyle trainer also confirmed that Tommy Treacy will again ride the three-times Champion Hurdle runner-up, Theatreworld.

Willie Mullins reported Florida Pearl to have emerged from Sunday's public workout at Leopardstown in "great form" but said the SunAlliance Chase second favourite Alexander Banquet is "a bit stiff".

Alexander Banquet should be fine for Cheltenham, however, as will the Weatherbys Champion Bumper hope, Bally Amber, who picked up a stone bruise after working on Sunday but is expected back in work tomorrow.

Saxophone, generally quoted at 20 to 1 for the SunAlliance Chase, will miss the race, Jim Dreaper said yesterday.

"In my opinion he is not good enough and he's very unlikely to go to Cheltenham. He could run at Navan instead but we'll see how he is," Dreaper said of Saxophone, who joins To Your Honour on the SunAlliance sidelines.

Noel Meade now looks set to be solely represented in the Triumph Hurdle by Fable after reports of a setback to stable companion Sungazer.

Leading Gold Cup hope Gloria Victis has a further choice of Cheltenham engagements after being included in the 46 entries for the Cathcart Challenge Cup Chase on the final day.

Martin Pipe's exciting novice, winner of the Racing Post Chase at Kempton last month, can land a £50,000 bonus if taking this race, the Gold Cup or the William Hill National Hunt Handicap Chase.

The French-bred gelding is also in the Royal & SunAlliance Chase.

The entries for all 20 races at the threeday Festival have now been made, with a record 55 being engaged in the Weatherbys Champion Bumper.

Six of the eight runnings of the race have been won by Irish-trained horses, three of them sent out by Willie Mullins.

Mullins has five entries in the race this year while Mark Pitman, successful last season with Monsignor, has four possibles.

There are 34 in the Christie's Foxhunter Challenge Cup, including last year's winner, Castle Mane, and Mighty Moss, while there are 44 engaged in the National Hunt Chase Challenge Cup.

Cheltenham's managing director Edward Gillespie said: "We are particularly pleased by the large entry for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper, a race that was run for the first time as recently as 1992.

"It has proved an excellent grounding for National Hunt stars of the future."