For the second week running the Turf Club have had to cancel hearings into cases of horses testing positive for morphine.

Last week, one case was heard by the Appeals and Referrals Committee and resulted in the disqualification of the Christy Roche-trained Kadiskar.

However, seven cases were adjourned and they, along with a ninth case that has since emerged positive after tests in France, were due to be heard today.

They have now been adjourned after solicitors acting for the various connections asked for more time.

The Turf Club chief executive Denis Egan said yesterday: "It appears they are going to challenge the findings but we cannot set a date to hear the cases until we see what is involved.

"Two firms of solicitors are involved in this and both are expected to call upon a witness from the US. We are told that all the trainers involved will use the same witness so the cases will probably be heard at the one time."

The morphine problem first emerged almost two months ago when widely used feed stuffs were found to be contaminated with traces of morphine.

Top two-mile chaser Flagship Uberalles has been purchased by JP McManus. The multiple Grade One-winning nine-year-old, who beat Native Upmanship by three lengths to take the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham last March, will remain in training with trainer Philip Hobbs.

But he is unlikely to make his debut in the colours made favourite by Istabraq until this year's Champion Chase. McManus said yesterday: "Flagship Uberalles is a good horse that came on the market and will hopefully represent us in the Champion Chase. Everybody likes a nice horse.

"We hope he strengthens our team and he will stay with his current stable."

Flagship Uberalles had previously carried the colours stars and stripes silks of Michael Krysztofiak and his wife Elizabeth Gutner.

Explaining their decision to sell, American Krysztofiak said: "A lot of it came down to the amount of travelling we had to do. The last trip we made to the Tingle Creek was especially tiresome. An opportunity occurred to sell the horse and we decided to take it."

Hobbs is the third trainer to have enjoyed high-profile success with the horse. Flagship Uberalles is a 7 to 1 chance to retain his two-mile crown in March.