IRISH RACING/News and Previews: Today's Red Mills Trial Hurdle lives up to its name in the case of the Champion Hurdle outsider Liss A Paoraigh who makes an important return to action.
The John Kiely-trained mare is as low as 25 to 1 for the Cheltenham championship but a lot hinges on how she fares in the €55,000 Gowran Park contest.
Liss A Paoraigh picked up a lung infection just days before the AIG and an apparent dislike of travel makes her festival aspirations even more unclear. However, Kiely is hopeful of a good run today.
"She scoped clean on Wednesday so hopefully she should be okay. She had a lung infection and you never know sometimes how that affects them. It can be disasterous for some and not for others," the Co Waterford trainer said.
Barry Geraghty is reunited with Liss A Paoraigh who was never headed in Leopardstown's Christmas Grade One which was the seventh win of the mare's 17-race career.
Just five oppose this afternoon with Sacundai looking the best of them. However, the outcome should result in debate among the Kiely camp whether or not to try and improve on last year's Champion Hurdle placing of ninth.
Geraghty is 12 behind Paul Carberry in the jockeys table but looks set to narrow that gap significantly.
The Danoli Chase features just seven runners with More Than A Stroll rated just 1lb ahead of last year's winner Moscow Express. The talented but quirky Arctic Copper is not out of it but did jump noticeably left at Thurles last time.
It's a potentially trappy affair but Moscow Express could be the safest option if Geraghty gets him jumping soundly.
The former champion jockey also looks a significant booking for the bottom weight Greywell in the handicap hurdle. The Liz Doyle-trained horse was second last in the Pierse but was bang there at the second last until quickly fading. Greywell looks to be worth another shout.
New Deal is an interesting contender in the four-year-old maiden hurdle. Formerly trained in France by John Hammond, the filly won on her debut at Chantilly and was subsequently campaigned in three Listed races. New Deal wasn't sucessful in any of them but this is not the strongest juvenile hurdle of the season.
