The top English trainer David Nicholson could have a team of up to six at the Punchestown festival which starts next Tuesday. Circus Star, who finished third to Grimes in last year's Champion Juvenile, will open proceedings for the Jackdaws Castle stable in the Country Pride Champion Novice Hurdle on the opening day.
Other Nicholson big race probables include Bakkar in the two-and-a-half mile Stanley Cooker Champion Novice Hurdle on the Wednesday and Zafarabad and Buckhouse Boy are on target for the IAWS Champion Juvenile and Ballymore Stayers Hurdle respectively on the Thursday. Potters Bay and possibly L'Opera are the other Nicholson hopefuls.
"We are very much looking forward to going to Punchestown," Nicholson said yesterday. "After all it would be rude not to be there!"
The centrepiece on the Wednesday however will be the £60,000 Heineken Gold Cup and Mouse Morris confirmed yesterday that Boss Doyle will run under topweight of 12st.
Morris reported that Boss Doyle, winner of seven out of his eight races over fences including the Mumm Mildmay Chase at Aintree last time, has done well since his run on bad ground at Liverpool and Tony McCoy will again ride.
The Fethard trainer also is set to run His Song in the Country Pride if the ground turns up soft. If it doesn't, His Song will bypass a clash with French Ballerina and possibly join stable-mate Foxchapel King in the Stanley Cooker Novice Hurdle over two-and-a-half miles.
Jessica Harrington is delaying a decision about running Miss Orchestra in the Heineken. "I don't want to see the ground drying out. She would prefer soft ground and I'll wait a few days before making up my mind," she said. There will be at least one English runner in the Heineken as last Thursday's Cheltenham winner Mahler has been confirmed a runner by Grand National winning trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies, who could have two other runners at the meeting.
Before that though, there will be an Irish runner in Saturday's Whitbread Gold Cup as Michael Hourigan intends saddling his first runner at Sandown in Tell The Nipper.
Fifth in the Irish Grand National, Tell The Nipper will be re-equipped with the blinkers he wore when beaten by Unguided Missile at Cheltenham but as of yet no jockey has been booked for the gelding. Much will depend on the weights but if they go up Richard Dunwoody could be reunited with Tell The Nipper.
