RACING:WILLIE MULLINS can secure some morale-boosting success ahead of the Cheltenham Festival at Limerick tomorrow where Dare To Doubt will be a popular fancy in one of the main events.
The Grade Two winner lines up in a Listed mares novice hurdle which looks a good opportunity for the previous course winner based on Dare To Doubt’s all-the- way defeat of Prima Vista at Naas last time out.
Mullins also runs Lovethehigherlaw in a competitive bumper which nevertheless looks one which the Michael O’Leary trained five-year-old appears well capable of winning.
The champion trainer yesterday reported Hurricane Fly to have come through his last significant work-out ahead of Tuesday’s Champion Hurdle unscathed.
“He’s in good form and hopefully all will go well between now and then. After missing out on the festival before, the aim all season has been to get him to Cheltenham,” Mullins said.
The Mullins-trained Sivota was backed into 8 to 1 joint-favouritism with Paddy Power for Thursday’s Pertemps Hurdle Final yesterday as the Co Carlow-based trainer puts the finishing touches to a team of up to 30 horses travelling to Prestbury Park.
Quevega will attempt a hat-trick in Tuesday’s David Nicholson Mares Hurdle, but another star mare in For Bill avoids the festival and instead lines up in tomorrow’s Grade Three Dawn Run Novice Chase.
Michael Winters’ prolific eight-year-old has translated her smart bumper and hurdles form to fences with a vengeance, and followed a Grade Three victory at Thurles with a smooth success at Navan.
She has to concede weight all-round, but the likes of Gentle Alice and Aura About You look to face a very stiff task against For Bill.
Another horse who would have been at home at Cheltenham is Hidden Cyclone, who can successfully finish up for this season at Navan tomorrow in the four-runner novice hurdle.
Trainer John “Shark” Hanlon is prepared to wait until 2012, and fences, before sending Hidden Cyclone to Cheltenham, but the hugely-promising type should have little more than a work-out in this company if he brushes up his jumping.
Fourteen line up for the €47,500 novice handicap chase and, now that he is stepped up to three miles, Pay The Bounty could reward support.
