Michael Hourigan's rising star Mossbank will lead a three-strong team that the Limerick trainer yesterday characterised as "one youngster and two old fellas" into Sunday's Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown.
After a very wet January, the prospects of improving ground for this weekend's Grade One feature card have encouraged Hourigan to target the Hennessy with Mossbank who burst on the scene in a major way with a fine second to Denman in the Lexus over Christmas.
Along with the triple-Hennessy winner Beef Or Salmon (2003-'06-'07) and another multiple Grade One-winning veteran in Hi Cloy, Mossbank will attempt to provide Hourigan with a fifth win in the prestigious contest which he also won with Dorans Pride in 1998.
"It looks most likely that Mossbank will run and I think the other two will too. It's been a good race for us in the past and this time we'll be going there with one youngster and two old fellas," he said yesterday.
"Mossbank has been perfect since the last day and the forecast for the week is good which will help him. Davy Russell will ride again," Hourigan added. "Hopefully Paul Carberry will be on Beef Or Salmon and Tom Doyle on Hi Cloy."
The chances of "yielding" ground being in play on Sunday was being entertained by the Leopardstown team yesterday although the going on the chase course is currently soft.
"We're being told the week ahead won't be too bad with 10 to 15mms of rain forecast between now and Saturday. That's not a lot really and it is supposed to get drier towards the end of the week. There's a chance we could get to yielding overall by the end of the week but it's a hard one to call at this stage," said Leopardstown's manager Tom Burke.
Willie Mullins, a six-time Hennessy winner, also has three horses to choose from ahead of Sunday's big race including the former Grand National winner Hedgehunter who was runner-up in the race two years ago.
Last year's runner-up The Listener is set to lead a British challenge that could also include Paul Nicholls' Turko although the picture will be clearer after today's important forfeit stage. The last British-trained Hennessy winner was Jodami's third success in the race in 1995.
Nicholls is set to take Kauto Star out of the Hennessy today and another Gold Cup champion, Kicking King, is also likely to bypass the race in favour of the following week's Red Mills Chase at Gowran Park.
One of Sunday's two other Grade One events, the Deloitte Novice Hurdle, will see many of Ireland's leading young hurdlers have their Cheltenham preps although Noel Meade's Muirhead is not likely to be among them.
Meade is considering running some horses at Down Royal tomorrow after a brief period of no-entries because of a disappointing January which saw the champion trainer saddle just one winner. However, Meade reported yesterday: "I think I've found a little bit of a problem but I don't want to say too much as I haven't confirmed anything yet. I'm hoping to run a few and see what happens. We've no sick horses and even though they've been running moderately we will run a few. They all seem to be bouncing."
Nevertheless the Royal Bond winner, Muirhead, is likely to wait for the Anglo Irish Bank Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham for his next start and miss a clash with his old rival, Cork All Star, this Sunday. "I'm going to leave him in but at the moment I'm inclined towards not running him until Cheltenham.
"With the way things are, I would hate for him to run and run bad. I'll discuss it with the owners but we will probably sit and wait. Then he will be fresh for Cheltenham. He jumps well and is not a hard horse to get fit," Meade added.
A total of nine entries remain in Saturday's BBA Opera Hat Novice Chase at Naas including Clopf who is as low as 14 to 1 for the Arkle at Cheltenham. Also in the two-mile race are the exciting Willie Mullins-trained mare J'y Vole and the Durkan New Homes runner-up Lenrey.
The new David Nicholson Mares Only Hurdle is the Cheltenham Festival target for Lounaos after her encouraging run behind Sizing Europe in the AIG Europe Champion Hurdle. "I think the two and a half miles will probably suit her," said trainer Eoin Griffin. "She was over the top at Cheltenham last year but will go there fresher this time."
