A critical weekend gallop will decide if Hors La Loi III takes another shot at the mighty Istabraq in Leopardstown's AIG Europe Champion Hurdle.
Hors La Loi III was a four-length runner-up to Istabraq at Cheltenham last year and is the sole English-trained entry among the 11 remaining in Sunday week's big race.
Not since Collier Bay in 1996 has a British raider picked up the AIG pot, but Hors La Loi's trainer, James Fanshawe, said yesterday: "We would love to go for the Irish Champion Hurdle - if we are happy with the horse."
Newmarket-based Fanshawe added: "We will make a decision after he works at the weekend. The main thing will be if we are happy with him and if the ground is suitable. He wouldn't appreciate it like it was at the last Leopardstown meeting.
"There is another option at Haydock and in the Cleeve Hurdle the following week, but whether Istabraq runs or not isn't a factor on where we will decide to run. Leopardstown is a definite option for us."
Fanshawe is not one of those who detects a flaw in Istabraq after his last race fall - "nobody can lose respect for a horse like him after one run and he'll probably kick everyone into touch next time" - but his main focus will be on Hors La Loi III.
The ex-Francois Doumen horse hasn't run since being pulled up behind Geos in last month's Bula Hurdle at Cheltenham but Fanshawe is inclined to discount that race.
"He hasn't bled since he's been with us, but he had bled last year and maybe I was a bit cautious with him going into the Bula. It was also very testing ground for a first run of the season, rather like Istabraq, and I ran three that weekend and they all ran poorly," he said.
In addition to Collier Bay, there were two other British-trained winners of the race in the 1990s, Royal Derbi (1993) and Nomadic Way (1990), but the race appears to centre on whether Istabraq will attempt an unprecedented fourth win in a row. Aidan O'Brien is expected to decide later in the week if he will train the horse for Leopardstown.
Before that the Foxrock course will host this weekend's Pierse Handicap Hurdle meeting, and that big contest too is likely to have just one British-trained representative.
Philip Hobbs confirmed Rooster Booster as a likely runner yesterday and said: "The Tote Gold Trophy is an obvious alternative but I would have thought he will go to Ireland. He's very well at the moment and Richard Johnson will ride."
Rooster Booster was beaten half a length by Ferrers at Cheltenham on his last start but was put up 5lb by the handicapper and was put up 11lb for his penultimate start at Newbury when he fell at the second-last flight.
On racing's administrative front, Pat Crean, secretary of Tralee racecourse, has resigned his position for medical reasons. Crean had been secretary at Ballybegan Park for over 30 years.
Today's action is at Thurles and although the powerful Willie Mullins-Ruby Walsh team look to have reasonable prospects of a double, it may be that the serious bettors will wait until the bumper, where Portobello Express should be hard to beat.
Jim Gorman's main focus is on training flat winners but after four placings so far this jumps season, the Curragh-based trainer is due a winter winner. Portobello Express looks well up to that judged on a fourth, beaten less than 10 lengths, behind the smart World Wide Web over Christmas at Leopardstown.
Racing opens with a seven-runner novice chase that looks ripe for Balla Sola. The enigmatic little horse misses the Pierse Hurdle and comes here on the back of never getting a shot in at Knife Edge over Christmas. But at or near his best Balla Sola should be too quick for Glenelly Gale.
