Kim Bailey's Tidebrook and Dai Williams-trained pair Folly Road and Symbol Of Success could swell the British challenge to four for next Sunday's Paddy Power Handicap Chase at Leopardstown
Paul Nicholls has already confirmed that his progressive eight-year-old Calling Wild will bid for the £117,000-added Grade Two chase. And yesterday both Bailey and Williams confirmed they would be represented in the three-mile test.
Tidebrook, set to carry 11st 9lb, will take his chance, with Bailey optimistic about the gelding's chances of coping with the trip on his first attempt at beyond two and a half miles.
The chestnut, who will be ridden by Norman Williamson, finished an encouraging second to Dr Bones at Wetherby at the beginning of the month and his trainer confirmed: "The plan is to run him. The trip is a gamble. He hasn't run three miles before, so we will see what he can do. I don't see why he shouldn't be suited by it.
"He worked on Saturday and I am very happy with him. He is due to work tomorrow morning, school on Wednesday and that is it."
The Lambourn trainer opined that the race might not prove as difficult to win as its seam-splitting purse suggests.
"It is a 0-140 handicap, so you are eradicating all the good horses in one go," he added. "That is what is so tempting about it, but it will be a competitive race, there is no doubt about that.
Recent Folkestone scorer Folly Road will represent Williams's Newbury yard. The eight-year-old will be accompanied by Symbol Of Success, who runs at Ludlow today.
"Folly Road will be ridden by Brendan Powell," said Williams yesterday. "Symbol Of Success runs tomorrow so he is not a definite runner, but he probably would run in Ireland."
Folly Road currently nestles towards the bottom of the handicap with 9st 12lb, although his burden could increase in the light of last week's victory.
"He doesn't get a penalty as such but the conditions of the race are such that the Irish handicapper reserves the right to readjust his handicap mark based on any form he shows between the entry and the race," added the eight-year-old's trainer. It is very fluid but if I say nothing, I won't bring attention to it."
Like Bailey, Williams also admitted to casting a covetous eye over the pot for the race. "I am quite looking forward to taking them over," he said. "It is a far more valuable race than the runners in it deserve - it is only a 0140 handicap at the end of the day. Horses rated 112 or 115 are not class horses by any means, and they are running for a £100,000 quid!"
