A FEATURE OF Leopardstown's Christmas action this year will be the presence of Paul Nicholls who is planning a major raid on the festival and his star novice Tatenen will kick off the British champion trainer's big race assault in the St Stephen's Day feature.
A total of 13 entries were left in next Friday's Durkan New Homes Novice Chase at yesterday's forfeit stage and they include Tatenen who is already as low as 5 to 2 favourite for the Arkle Trophy at Cheltenham.
Yesterday Nicholls confirmed Tatenen an intended starter at Leopardstown and he will be just the first runner in a significant assault on some of this country's major holiday prizes.
"Tatenen runs in the novice chase on Boxing Day and Neptune Collonges will run in the Lexus," Nicholls said.
"Neptune Collonges is in good order and we are looking forward to next week with him. He is never an impressive horse at home. He's very workmanlike and sometimes you'd think he has achieved as much as he is ever likely to but until he runs you never know with him," he added.
Other big-race options for Nicholls include the pair of Twist Magic and Natal in the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet Chase on Day Two of Leopardstown.
Nicholls said: "Natal definitely goes for the Dial-A-Bet and Twist Magic is a possible. But if it came up very soft at Leopardstown Twist Magic could go to Kempton instead. Natal unseated his rider last time but he has won on all sorts of ground and isn't fussy. Leopardstown should be fine."
Eleven runners remain in contention to run in that two-mile Grade One including last year's winner Mansony as well as last season's leading novices Big Zeb and Thyne Again.
Nicholls, however, played down the idea that his Irish raid forms part of a long-term plan to try to add the Irish trainer's title to his British crown.
Big-race wins already this season for the likes of Oslot (Galway Plate), Kauto Star (Nicholson Chase) and Noland (John Durkan) had prompted suggestions that such tactics were dictating Nicholls' plans in running so many of his string in this country.
However, he said yesterday: "It'll never happen. I'm not chasing it and I was misquoted about chasing it. It is impossible. Willie (Mullins) and Noel (Meade) are doing so well you would have to have runners all the time. We're just targeting the big races."
Ireland's current champion jumps trainer Willie Mullins will be represented in force this Christmas with a trio of good novices, Cooldine, Jayo and Golden Silver, at his disposal to tackle Tatenen although the first two also have the option of Limerick's Grade Two Guinness Greenmount Park Novice Chase on the same day.
Friday's other Grade 0ne feature is the Juvenile Hurdle for which the Michael O'Leary-owned Tharawaat heads a total of 13 entries. Ground conditions at Leopardstown are currently soft and not too much change is expected ahead of the festival kick-off.
"We could get 10mms of rain tomorrow but after the weekend we are being told it will largely dry. We are probably looking at soft for St Stephen's Day although if we get a brisk, drying wind next week it might improve a bit. But it shouldn't be worse than soft," said the track manager Tom Burke yesterday.
Nicholls has the option of running Osako D'Airy in the Day Two centrepiece, the €190,000 Paddy Power Chase, for which 44 entries remain. They include the current 10 to 1 ante-post favourite Operation Houdini as well as the possible topweight Chelsea Harbour.
As well as the Dial-A-Bet, the other Grade One race on Saturday week will be the Future Champions Novice Hurdle which has 15 possible runners including the Willie Mullins-trained duo of Hurricane Fly and Cousin Vinny.
Mullins has already indicated that Hurricane Fly will attempt to add to his Grade One haul at Leopardstown but is keeping his options open with Cousin Vinny who was third to his stable companion in the Royal Bond.
The champion bumper horse has an entry in Friday's opening maiden hurdle too. Colm Murphy has also kept both those options open for Zaarito.
The former champion jockey Richard Dunwoody has received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ulster for his contribution to equine sport. Dunwoody, originally from Comber, Co Down, rode 1,699 winners during a glittering career.
"I'd like to dedicate this to my parents and in particular my number one mentor, my father George," he said earlier this week.
Since an arm injury forced his retirement, Dunwoody has undertaken a number of expeditions including a 673-mile trek to the South Pole which he described as his "greatest ever achievement".
