JP McManus’s team haven’t ruled out a cracking Christmas rematch between Ireland’s top Cheltenham Gold Cup candidates at Leopardstown.
The champion owner’s pair of Grade One-winning novices Fact To File and Spillane’s Tower made light of the jump to senior company when fighting out a memorable finish to Sunday’s John Durkan Chase.
Fact To File had half a length in hand of Spillane’s Tower with the reigning dual-Gold Cup champion Galopin Des Champs 2½ lengths farther back in third.
Willie Mullins indicated the latter will try to repeat his spectacular 2023 success in Leopardstown’s Savills Chase next month when upped back to three miles.
In the immediate aftermath of the Durkan the champion trainer seemed less sure about Fact To File also lining up for the Savills although McManus’s racing manager Frank Berry appeared more positive about such a prospect on Monday.
Quizzed about running plans for both Fact To File and Spillane’s Tower, Berry suggested the option of supplementing either horse for Kempton’s King George VI Chase might be a longshot.
“There are none of them in it at the minute, but we’ll see what happens over the next week and make a decision then. See how they come out of the race, how they are and there’s a great race at Leopardstown and whether they all go there, or we try to go somewhere else with something we’ll see.
“I’d be surprised if Fact To File didn’t go to Leopardstown. Where Spillane’s Tower goes, I don’t know but the most important thing is to see how they come out the race,” he commented.
One horse back in the frame to appear at Kempton over Christmas is the 2023 Champion Hurdle winner Constitution Hill.
Lame after a lacklustre gallop at Newbury last week, an MRI scan uncovered how Constitution Hill had inflammation in a joint that was touching a nerve.
“That would have been very sore, but I’m glad to report from being noticeably lame, very noticeably lame, on Friday and Saturday, he’s miles better this morning,” trainer Nicky Henderson said on Monday.
“We are starting some gentle walking exercise today with a really serious hope we can get back on the road so we can continue his preparation, which will hopefully now lead us to the Christmas Hurdle. Obviously, the Fighting Fifth is out, but the Christmas Hurdle is still realistic.
“He won it last year, so let’s hope that’s where we can get him out and he can get his great career back on track,” he added.
Last year’s Christmas Hurdle has been Constitution Hill’s only race in the last 19 months.
Tuesday’s racing action in Ireland is at Tramore where course and distance winner Roxhill Roise will try to step up on her recent handicap debut at Gowran for trainer David O’Brien.
Paul Townend will carry Michael O’Leary’s Gigginstown Stud colours for Mullins when the French recruit Karniquet makes his Irish debut in the opener. He was runner-up twice over flights in France earlier this year.
