Paul Carberry is set to resume his partnership with Florida Pearl at Down Royal on Saturday week after Ruby Walsh confirmed to trainer Willie Mullins yesterday he will not be able to return from injury in time to take the ride on the Gold Cup runner-up.
Walsh missed out on all of Florida Pearl's races last year after breaking a shin, and now a wrist injury picked up at Cork last weekend means that Mullins' stable jockey again misses out.
"Ruby has told me he is out of the North, and that's disappointing for him," Mullins said. "I will talk to Paul over the weekend and I would be quite happy for him to ride the horse at Down Royal. He got on well with the horse last season." Florida Pearl and Carberry landed the James Nicholson Champion Chase last year and are set to clash with their Cheltenham conqueror Looks Like Trouble again at Down Royal.
The double attempt is Florida Pearl's priority, and the possibility of a £250,000 bonus may not be enough to sway Florida Pearl into a tilt at Newbury's Hennessy Gold Cup. But Mullins hasn't ruled out either of his stable companions, Micko's Dream or Alexander Banquet, for the November 25th English showpiece.
Florida Pearl is entered at Newbury, but he is unlikely to chase the £250,000 bonus of offer if a horse wins the Hennessy, February's AON Chase and the 2001 Gold Cup.
"I would doubt he will run in both races. The north remains his prime objective, but if Micko's Dream runs well on Sunday he may well skip the north and go to Newbury instead. Alexander Banquet is a possible too, but we'll know more next week," Mullins said. With Walsh away, the current champion, Barry Geraghty, can make hay at Fairyhouse today.
Geraghty steps in for the ride on Tuesday, who carries the Flordia Pearl colours on his hurdling debut. Tuesday may have to concede hurdling experience to some of these, but he was a topflight bumper performer and the forecast of "yielding" ground should be just about alright for him.
Geraghty also has the exciting ride on the novice chaser Champagne Native, who wasn't that far off the top flight of novice hurdlers last season and looks an automatic selection in the Beginners Chase.
Mullins himself can double up on the course and distance winner Catch Ball in the handicap hurdle.
The Curragh winner Derivative carries a 99 rating into the nine furlong auction maiden, but preference is still for Baron de Feypo, who ran a nice fourth to Milan on his debut.
Aidan O'Brien can land both divisions of the maiden, first with the Storm Cat colt Norway, then with the Woodman filly Admiring.
