Champion Hurdle winner Sublimity could be given an intriguing entry in the totesport Ebor at York, according to handler John Carr. The Maynooth, Co Kildare trainer initially mooted the Scottish Champion Hurdle as a potential next port of call but that plan has now been shelved.
Current options facing the new champion are the ACC Bank Champion Hurdle at Punchestown or a return to racing on the Flat, a sphere in which he has twice won at Listed level. "I've a lot of ideas in my head about where to take him next but Liverpool is definitely out," Carr explained.
"I will enter him for Punchestown and I'll also enter him for the Listed Alleged Stakes that he won at the Curragh two years ago on the Flat. We could even put him away and aim him at the Ebor at York, or maybe not run him at all. We are going to make a positive decision in the next fortnight and whatever we decide we will stick to that."
Martin Brassil is hoping Navan's meeting on Saturday can beat the weather so that late Queen Mother Champion Chase defector Nickname can take his chance in the Russell Restaurant An Uaimh Chase.
The eight-year-old finished second to Noel Meade's Watson Lake, who is also a possible, in the Grade Three race 12 months ago. Brassil was disappointed his mudlark could not take his chance at Cheltenham due to the drying ground but there is no chance of that scuppering his plans this weekend.
"There's nothing but bad weather here at the moment so the only thing that would stop him running is if the meeting was called off," he said. "It's a very bad weather forecast for the rest of the week.
"It was such a shame it dried up at Cheltenham, but it is just so well drained. The ground was a bit slower on the new course, but I don't think it would have made a difference to us. The winner (Voy Por Ustedes) would have been hard to beat."
Brassil also had news of Numbersixvalverde as he puts the finishing touches to his preparations in his bid for a second Grand National. "Everything is going well with him, thank goodness," said Brassil.
Meanwhile, Adrian Joyce was seen at his best on In The High Grass who ran out a cosy winner of the Shamrock Handicap Chase at Gowran Park yesterday. The 7lb claimer settled his mount behind the leaders early on in the €45,000 contest before producing him to challenge entering the straight.
Tom Taaffe's charge got the better of fellow 7/2 joint-favourite On The Net before the last and pulled away on the run-in to record a five-and-a-half length verdict. "He's been progressive all year and deserves to win a race like that. He did it well and handles that ground," said Taaffe.
