First Lieutenant returns to action at Thurles

First Lieutenant warms up for a potential tilt at the Crabbie’s Grand National with a spin over hurdles at Thurles.

The three-times Grade One winner has found life tough against the best staying chasers in Ireland this season, finishing down the field in the JNwine.com Champion Chase at Down Royal and in the Lexus Chase and the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown.

He now reverts to smaller obstacles for the first time in almost four years in the Thurles Racecourse Hurdle over three miles.

Trainer Mouse Morris said: “We’ve decided to give him a run over hurdles to prep him up for Aintree, or wherever he’s going. He seems in great form at home. He’s been hunting and he seems a happy horse at the moment.

“He looks like a horse for Liverpool. I think going around there might just perk him up a bit, but we’ll just wait and see what happens.”

Three rivals

First Lieutenant faces just three rivals and has at least a stone in hand on official ratings.

Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh team up with Rolly Baby, while Colin Bowe’s Gold Patrol must concede weight all round.

Daniel Howard’s Archie Meade completes the quartet.

Carlingford Lough, joint-top weight for the Aintree National, has been ruled out of the race on April 11th.

The JP McManus-owned nine-year-old claimed the Hennessy Gold Cup at Leopardstown on his penultimate start, but failed to provide Tony McCoy with a final Cheltenham Gold Cup success, finishing ninth behind Coneygree.

John Kiely’s charge jointly heads the weights for the National, along with last year’s Gold Cup hero Lord Windermere, but he will not be heading to Merseyside. McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry said: “That (Grand National) won’t be happening.”

The County Waterford trainer raised the possibility of Carlingford Lough lining up in the Punchestown Gold Cup, depending on how quickly he recovers from his Cheltenham exertions.

Kiely said: “He’s come back fine. We agreed the ground probably wasn’t ideal, but I’m not sure he would have been good enough anyway.

“I think we’ll give our horse a break for a couple of weeks and see how he is after that. He could go to Punchestown, maybe.”

Fine effort

Kitten Rock is set to pursue a career over fences next season following his fine effort in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.

Edward O’Grady’s five-year-old racked up four successive victories before the Festival and was far from disgraced in finishing sixth, beaten just under 10 lengths by Faugheen.

O’Grady is not planning to run the JP McManus-owned youngster again this season and is already looking forward to seeing him in action over larger obstacles next term.

He said: “He’s come back home safe and well and I think it was the best performance he’s produced up to now.

“He was always going to be difficult to place this season, because of his age, but he’s won four of his last five races.

“Now we’ve been to Cheltenham, we’re happy to put him away and look forward to going chasing with him next season.”