RACING: Limestone Lad is amazing connections with the speed of his recovery from Monday's freak accident. Ireland's top stayer, who was taken out of the betting for the Bonusprint Stayers' Hurdle at Cheltenham after damaging back muscles in a paddock accident, has had a scan and the results are encouraging.
"Next week we will have a proper scan done and that will tell us a lot more, but we have had one scan done already and that showed up no major damage," Michael Bowe reported.
"He is actually amazing us with his progress. Initially we thought it was career, even life threatening, but he has always been a tremendous healer and that is coming to the fore now.
"Even the vet has been taken aback by the rate of recovery and the signs are that everything we will have to do with him can be done at home instead of loading him off to some strange place," he added.
However, Bowe's attention is not being deflected from the injury by the possibility of Limestone Lad making the Cheltenham Festival after all. "I'm not even going to think of Cheltenham, or mention it. I'm just so glad he is home and that we can do our best for him.
"He is making such a good recovery that yesterday he let fly a kick at me. That's him telling us he is back to himself!" he said.
The Stayers' Hurdle continues to be dominated by the French star Baracouda who is as low as 4 to 5 favourite for the race with Paddy Power. They also bet 9/2 Jair Du Cochet, 5 Bannow Bay, 9 Liss A Paoraigh, 14 Brother Joe and Magnus, 16 Bar.
There is less happy news of another National Hunt star, the Willie Mullins-trained Micko's Dream, who has been put down due to injuries he picked up at Clonmel in November.
The winner of 14 of his 34 races, Micko's Dream ruptured an off-fore fetlock joint during the Morris Oil Chase and despite prolonged treatment at a Curragh veterinary hospital, he was put down.
Fran Berry will reportedly ride as second jockey to John Oxx in the upcoming Flat season. Eddie Ahern's decision to turn freelance has created a position for Niall McCullagh as Michael Grassick's first jockey and Berry has stepped into the Oxx role.
