Racing NewsFlorida Pearl has injured a leg and will not run again this season.The star veteran had put himself back in the picture for one more crack at the Cheltenham Gold Cup when he won a record fourth Hennessy at Leopardstown last month.
Hopes had continued to rise about the 12-year-old's Gold Cup chance in two weeks with the ground drying out, but injury has intervened.
The Willie Mullins team revealed on its website yesterday: "Florida Pearl didn't appear 100 per cent sound this morning and, after a veterinary examination, he was found to have a ligament problem in a front leg.
"We have decided to rest him for the remainder of the season. He will obviously miss Cheltenham and we wouldn't have him back ready in time for Punchestown."
It looks as if Florida Pearl may never pick up that elusive Gold Cup triumph.
The former King George winner was third in the Gold Cup in 1999 and runner-up to Looks Like Trouble the following year.
Barry Geraghty is heading many lists to be the leading rider at the Cheltenham festival, and his already strong book of rides has had the Coral Cup favourite Dromlease Express added to it.
The 5 lb claimer John Allen rode Dromlease Express to a memorable success in January's Pierse Hurdle, and trainer Charles Byrnes initially said the 19-year-old from Kilworth, Co Cork would retain the ride.
But the Limerick trainer said yesterday: "I had a meeting with the owners (RDS syndicate) and we have decided to go for experience. Barry Geraghty has been offered the ride."
Geraghty dominated last year's Cheltenham with five winners and is currently Paddy Power's 5 to 2 joint-favourite with Ruby Walsh to win the rider's title again.
However, as the Cheltenham authorities finally began watering the track yesterday, Byrnes did sound a note of caution over the possibility of quick ground at the festival.
"The horse does like it on the soft side of good, and on this fast ground I wouldn't have the same confidence. In fact, if it turns up good to firm he probably wouldn't run. But at least they've started watering and surely they'll get it back to safe ground," Byrnes said.
Dromlease Express' stable companion Cloudy Bays is now a doubtful starter in the Cathcart Cup.
"He has a muscle problem, and while he is responding to treatment I would have to say he is very doubtful at this stage," Byrnes added.
His fellow Limerick trainer, Michael Hourigan, will have a busy day today, as, before the afternoon racing at Thurles, the Gold Cup hope Beef Or Salmon will have a racecourse workout at Cork under his big race rider Timmy Murphy.
Beef Or Salmon continues to please his connections after the muscle problems which ruled him out of the Hennessy at Leopardstown last month.
The horse has been receiving physio from Liz Kent, who treated Alamshar on the run-up to the Irish Derby last year, and has been given dressage exercise to build up certain muscles.
Hourigan also plans to run Johnjoe's Express at Cheltenham, against Dromlease Express in the Coral Cup.
Christy Roche intends to give Martinstown, a 3 to 1 favourite for the Wetherbys Champion bumper, an important pre-festival gallop tomorrow.
One concern that has disappeared for Roche is the lack of a winner in almost six weeks. The Curragh trainer hit the score sheet at Downpatrick yesterday, and he plans to send Risk Accessor to Newbury on Saturday for the Vodafone Cup.
As for Martinstown, he added: "I think he might be a bit of a talking horse. Often when you get one of mine, owned by JP (McManus), people start talking about Cheltenham."
But Roche also declared: "Our fellow is probably as good, if not the best of the Irish horses, at this particular sphere."
Thurles stages an impressive card this afternoon, where The Parishioner and Kim Fontaine renew course rivalry from last month in the Listed novice hurdle.
Kim Fontaine is 2 lb better for the half-length he was beaten by the Hourigan horse over a quarter-mile further, and there will be plenty who will believe that gives him the winning edge.
But The Parishioner is highly regarded and is also clearly progressive, having won his last three starts. Despite the conditions, and the presence of smart types like Kahuna and Old Flame, he can make it four from four.
The conditions chase features David's Lad, whose 145 rating at these weights gives him a clear book edge. But the recent rain will not have helped his chance, and instead Barrow Drive, for whom Jim Culloty travels from Britain, could be the one to come out ahead.
Afistfullofdollars has been unfortunate enough to come up against the likes of Malahide Marina and Templelusk in his three starts this season, but the Noel Meade horse should finally get off the mark on the level in today's bumper.
