Willie Mullins has called time on Florida Pearl's season but it looks like being normal service at the start of Fairyhouse's Grand National meeting with the Co Carlow trainer heavily favoured in tonight's top races.
Mullins was not happy with how Florida Pearl emerged from last week's shock defeat by Moscow Express and the triple Hennessy winner is finished for the term. But Moscow Express is out again and meets another Mullins star in Micko's Dream in the Dan Moore Chase.
Micko's Dream's win in last week's £80,000 Irish Independent Chase (2m) was a career highlight and he goes for a course and distance repeat instead of trying for Sunday's National. He is reported to be in good shape by Mullins who said yesterday: "The ease with which he won the last day surprised me but from his pedigree I've always felt he could go back in trip and that was a tremendous performance over two miles the last time."
For most racegoers, the Mullins-trained Catch Ball will be a Jackpot banker in the final of the mares' novice series, considering the book says she has 16lb in hand of her nearest rival.
"On the book, she looks the job and drier ground should suit her. The 16lb is what she improved to in her last race but she's not the biggest mare and I don't know whether 11.9 will be a problem," Mullins said.
Nevertheless, Catch Ball's division of Bannow Bay and Limestone Lad puts her in a different class to these and she should be up to scoring a third course-and-distance win.
The Mullins-trained Summer In Siberia looks an automatic choice in the last and if Be My Royal gets a good pace and possibly even a lead for part of the novice hurdle, he can repeat his form with Risk Accessor.
The Edward O'Grady/Norman Williamson team can hit the mark when the 1999 point-to-point winner Takagi goes in the Beginners Chase.
Adonesque justified prohibitive odds in front of a modest crowd at Tipperary yesterday, although punters who supported the 1 to 3 chance were made to sweat for a few strides in the straight.
The Sadler's Wells filly made all in the nine-furlong Monard Maiden but needed to be given a few reminders by John Murtagh a furlong out to beat newcomer Golden Apples by a length and a half.
"She is a half-sister to Danehill Dancer, and we are still a bit in the dark about what trip she wants," said John Oxx's assistant Jimmy O'Neill of the 280,000 guineas Houghton Sale purchase. King Of Tara (1 to 3) made it two wins from as many starts this term when sent on early in the straight by Michael Kinane for a facile three-length victory over College Dreamer.
