Ground conditions more usually associated with classic trials than the normal Christmas slog are being predicted for the start of Leopardstown's four-day holiday festival next week which will be good news for the almost 60,000 people expected to pay through the gates at the Dublin track.
However, for connections of those horses who relish a testing surface, the outlook is less festive as the current weather forecast is encouraging hopes for "good" ground all round on St Stephen's Day.
The description at Leopardstown is already "good" apart from some "good to yielding" patches and that is likely to get even quicker through this weekend.
That is bad news for a number of star names hoping to appear over the Christmas period. The star two-miler Nickname, already an odds-on favourite with the sponsors for Thursday's Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase, relishes soft going but even the hope of significant rainfall to aid his cause on Christmas Eve now doesn't look like happening.
"We were told to expect significant rain on Monday night but the charts apparently are now saying we won't get a huge amount at all. It's a changing situation but as things stand, it looks like we could have good ground on Day One," said the Leopardstown manager Tom Burke yesterday.
Nickname's trainer, Martin Brassil, is still hoping to run his prolific ex-French star in the Grade One race he won last year and said yesterday: "Everyone knows Nickname needs soft ground. He's fine and we hope we just get a drop of rain. Anything easier than yielding would be grand."
The Dial-A-Bet second favourite, Mansony, is also a horse that relishes testing conditions but his trainer Arthur Moore has stressed his Grade One winner's versatility. Mansony is set to drop back to two miles after finishing runner-up to The Listener in the two-and-a-half John Durkan Memorial on his first start of the season earlier this month.
"He was beaten a long way by The Listener but I was still happy with his effort and he has come out of the race well," Moore said. "Soft to heavy is ideal. But he goes on any ground. I'm looking forward to taking on Nickname and I hope our fellow does himself justice."
Another Dial-A-Bet contender is the Gold Cup contender In Compliance who returns to action for trainer Michael O'Brien. "He's had trouble with muscles but he seems okay. It's not ideal having to run over two miles but you have to start somewhere and it wouldn't be ideal running over three miles first time either. Two miles is the better option," O'Brien said.
The former double-Champion Hurdler Hardy Eustace steps up to three miles for the first time in his career tomorrow in Ascot's Long Walk Hurdle and his trainer Dessie Hughes is confident of a good show.
"He's in very good form and will take all the beating," Hughes said yesterday. "There's a fair bit of mileage on him but he has only run five or six times a year so he's entitled to still be well."
Hardy Eustace will face ten opponents in the Ascot highlight, including his fellow Irish raider Sonnyanjoe, as well as the Jonjo O'Neill-trained star Black Jack Ketchum. However, even victory tomorrow for the Hughes horse will not guarantee a preparation for the World Hurdle at Cheltenham in March.
"If he wins, the Champion Hurdle wouldn't be out of the question - I'll go for the easiest option," the Curragh trainer said.
As expected, Michael Hourigan's Hi Cloy is the sole Irish possible for Wednesday's King George VI Chase at Kempton where last year's winner Kauto Star is set to try for a follow-up under Ruby Walsh.
Harchibald will attempt to regain his Christmas Hurdle crown. The 2004 winner is the most likely of Noel Meade's three entries, which also include Aitmatov and Jazz Messenger, to run.
