NEWS ROUND-UP: CHARLIE SWAN is considering whether to supplement the quickly-improving Rajik for the Irish Field St Leger at the Curragh on Saturday week.

The five-year-old secured his third win in succession in a Galway Listed event on Monday and provided he remains in good form, he could test the water in Group One company next week at a cost of €24,000.

“He did it well enough the other day, he saw it out well and he just prefers a bit further,” said Swan. “He seems to have come out of the race well but we won’t be making any decisions about where we’ll run until Monday.

“There’s a small chance he could be supplemented for the Irish St Leger, but we just want to make sure he’s in good form.

“I’ll enter him in the Doncaster Cup as well, so we’ll just see how he is. If we miss next week we could let him off all together until next season.

“He probably won’t go jumping just yet as he’s had plenty of racing and there’s plenty of time for that.”

Meanwhile, Mikael D’Haguenet is reported to be in good shape as he builds towards his first official racecourse outing since May 2009. The highly-regarded six-year-old missed the whole of the last campaign due to injury, but did come close to a comeback having schooled after racing at Leopardstown in January.

Trainer Willie Mullins has been pleased with his charge since returning from a summer break and is looking forward to seeing him tackle fences in the coming months.

“He’s good and in pre-training now. He’s good and strong and doesn’t seem to have any problems yet,” said Mullins. “Fingers crossed he stays right and he’ll go novice chasing.”

Stable companion Fiveforthree, a dual Grade One winner, has been off the track for almost exactly the same time, but he too should return this season.

“He’s back training and he’s another we’re keeping our fingers crossed with,” Mullins said. “He’s back riding and will probably make a late start to the season, but we’ll try to go novice chasing with him if we’ve got enough time.”

Mullins is eyeing a David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle hat-trick with Quevega ahead of the new National Hunt campaign.

The six-year-old landed the Grade Two contest in devastating fashion once again last season before beating the boys over three miles at Punchestown.

There have been plenty of calls for her to test her mettle in either the Champion Hurdle or the World Hurdle at Cheltenham next year, but Mullins remains keen on keeping her against her own sex.

“She’s just been in a couple of days and has done well from her summer break,” said the champion trainer. “If all goes well and she gets back to Cheltenham, you’d have to think at this stage of the year she’d be aiming for the mares’ race.

“It’s so far away but we’d definitely be aiming for Cheltenham and I don’t think she’ll have too many runs before that. We’ll see how she takes her training.”

Mullins also had news on Golden Silver, who rounded off last season with a superb Grade One victory at Punchestown.

“He really came to himself last year and improved and I think he’s improving again,” Mullins added. “He’s in tremendous form coming in off grass this year. Paul (Townend) gets on well with him and he loves the soft ground.

“Hopefully if he improves again we’ll get back to Cheltenham with him, but I just wonder if he’ll be better in the Ryanair Chase on better ground.”

Another Mullins inmate who could be Champion Hurdle-bound is Blackstairmountain, who won the Champion Novice Hurdle at Punchestown last year.

“He’s in great shape and I’ll try and get him going sooner because he’s not a real heavy ground, winter horse,” Mullins said.

“He improved all last season and I think he’ll improve again – he’ll have to if he’s going to go to Cheltenham.”