His song has been the horse attracting support in the antepost market for Sunday's £110,000 Hennessy Gold Cup, but Adrian Maguire is facing a race against time to be fit to ride the Mouse Morris-trained gelding.
Maguire was forced to miss riding at Newcastle yesterday after suffering back spasms at Musselburgh on Tuesday and will visit a specialist today to try and sort out the problem. He only returned to race riding last Saturday at Doncaster after a week off.
If he is forced to miss the Hennessy, Tony McCoy will take over on His Song, who has been backed down from 20 to 1 to 10 to 1 with Paddy Power for the weekend feature.
A spokesperson for Maguire said yesterday: "His back problem eased a bit today but he wants a specialist's view on what is causing his back problems. We can't say for definite what will happen but at the moment he is assuming he will be at Leopardstown."
That is an assumption that Mouse Morris goes along with as he sends the strapping His Song for his first race over three miles since winning a point-to-point as a four-year-old. His Song hasn't run since finishing third to Buck Rogers and Rince Ri in the Durkan Chase and has since had a soft palate operation. Morris is hopeful the operation will help the horse fulfil his potential.
"It doesn't show up in his home work so we'll know on Sunday if it has worked or not. That will be the interesting thing from my point of view and we can worry about Cheltenham afterwards. This will be his first time over three miles on a racecourse but he has the size and the scope, so I can't see him not getting it," Morris said yesterday.
The returning veteran Danoli will have a searching workout, possibly at the Curragh, today to see if he is forward enough to return to action in the Hennessy.
His trainer Tom Foley said yesterday: "It will be a good work out and if he gets over it we'll have no problem for Sunday. Afterwards it will be a case of just tipping away." Florida Pearl is now an 5 to 6 favourite with most firms for the Hennessy and is described as being "in great order" by his trainer Willie Mullins. Florida Pearl is a general 8 to 1 third favourite now for the Cheltenham Gold Cup behind See More Business and Looks Like Trouble.
Alexander Banquet represents Mullins in the PJ Moriarty Novice Chase and an interesting Mullins runner in the bumper will be the unraced Adamant Approach.
Despite not having seen a racecourse, Cashmans bookmakers report Adamant Approach being backed down to 10 to 1 for the Cheltenham bumper. Confirming his entry at Leopardstown, Mullins quipped yesterday: "One thing about talking horses, when they're mine I always hope the rumours are right!"
Betting: Paddy Power: 5/6 Florida Pearl, 2 Rince Ri, 6 Dorans Pride, 10 His Song, 14 Buck Rogers, 20 Micko's Dream, 25 Bob Treacy, 33 Danoli.
Cashmans: 5/6 Florida Pearl, 2 Rince Ri, 8 Dorans Pride, 10 His Song, 14 Buck Rogers, 28 Bob Treacy, 50 Danoli
His Song and Tony McCoy, who may be reunited on Sunday. - (Photograph: Caroline Norris)
