RACING: Christy Roche has confirmed the Gerrard Supreme Novices' Hurdle as Like-A-Butterfly's Cheltenham target but added that the unbeaten mare will miss the festival if the ground gets too quick.
The JP McManus-owned star novice won her seventh start in Sunday's Deloitte & Touche at Leopardstown and has emerged in good shape. However, the Cheltenham surface could yet deny her a festival appearance.
"JP likes his horses to stay around for a while and if it was real good ground at Cheltenham, she would not run. JP likes Cheltenham, but he likes the mare better," Roche said yesterday.
"The decision was always going to be to run in the Supreme. We kept her in the other one (SunAlliance Hurdle) just in case," he added. "She is grand after her race. She is such a clear winded and straight-forward horse." The news was less upbeat about Youlneverwalkalone, who could only finish third to Harbour Pilot in the Moriarty Chase on Sunday, and the former top hurdler could now miss Cheltenham.
"I was disappointed with him. Conditions were tough but three out, there was only one winner. Paul (Moloney) was of the opinion he didn't stay but I'm not so certain.
"He is such a good horse at home, without a doubt the best I've ever trained, and I had him 100 per cent on Sunday. I know people have had question marks against him and maybe I'm going to start looking at those question marks myself. He is definitely not producing on the racecourse what he does at home," Roche said.
The Curragh trainer will unveil another festival candidate in Sunday's McCabe Builders Boyne Hurdle at Navan, where Bannow Bay has his final tune up for the Bonusprint Stayers' Hurdle.
"It will give him the last touch up and he is ready for the race. If he doesn't win, we'll be disappointed," Roche said.
Saturday's Red Mills Trial Hurdle at Gowran could see Ansar stake his claims for a place in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
"The plan is to run, with Paul Carberry riding, if the ground is suitable. He is a good ground horse and if it is very testing he will miss Gowran. We will see about Cheltenham afterwards. He is entered in the Champion Hurdle and we will have to see about that. But we would like to run on Saturday," trainer Dermot Weld said yesterday.
Also yesterday, Willie Mullins lodged an appeal to the Turf Club against the demotion from first place of Scolardy in Sunday's Cashmans Juvenile Hurdle.
"I was very surprised on the day and I've heard nothing since that makes me feel different," Mullins said. The trainer also reported both Alexander Banquet and Florida Pearl to have emerged unscathed from their efforts in Sunday's Hennessy Gold Cup.
"Both of them seem all right and I'm happy with how they've come out of the race," he added.
Richard Johnson will sit on Looks Like Trouble for the first time in 15 months when he partners the Gold Cup favourite in a serious workout today.
