Racing: Top Irish racehorse Lounaos is unlikely to be seen out until Christmas, with trainer Eoin Griffin keen to take things one step at a time.
The four-year-old filly, who was sent off as the 7-2 favourite for the Triumph Hurdle in March, has enjoyed an extended summer holiday.
"Lounaos is progressing well and I would say it will probably be Christmas time before you see her," said Griffin.
"We'll keep her to mares races if we can, but we'll probably take on some of the better horses at some stage. She hasn't had a problem, she had just been in training a very long time.
"I don't think people realise how long she had been on the go. When we bought her she was actually racing as a two-year-old in France.
"She was kept going right through the summer as a three-year-old on the Flat and then went straight over hurdles as a juvenile so she was in training for well over 18 months.
"Initially, when we left her out the weather was good, but we had a bad summer and she didn't do as well as we would have liked so we decided to give her an extra bit of time.
"There is no rush with her and it is generally a tough season after the juvenile year, especially for fillies."